Wicked witch of the West
by T1gerCat
Summary: A move, a meeting, an almost murder in self defense. What do they have in common? Magic!
1. Chance meetings

**A/N:** As we all know I don't a darn thing about this story except the idea and a few oc's. Hope you all like it and a special thanks to DeathDaisy. Even through her exams at school and she still made time to listen to me whining when I ran out of ideas…..

**A/N2**: As always I only own my ideas, my oc's and each and every recognizable scene belongs to Twilight and Secret Circle, both tv-series an the books.

Chapter 1 – Chance meetings

The reception hall was buzzing with people, but thankfully they were starting to leave. I was sitting on a stool at the large bar slowly nursing a fruit coctail called Vigin Mary regretting letting mom talk me into wearing stiletto high heels.

"Not happy for the couple?"

the bartender asked me before he placed a small bowl with popcorn next ro my drink. I shook my head

"I'm ecstatic for them. She's my mom after all"

I smiled politely wishing he'd leave me alone and go back to his job. Thankfully he complied to my mental request and left me finish my drink in silence. I love mom and Phil is a nice guy and I had made a decision.

Phil travels a lot for his job, he's a baseball player and his team was about to be promoted from the minor league to major so I had decided to move in with my father so the two could travel without worrying about me. Mom had offered to stay with me, time and time again while Phil travels but I could tell it pained her to do so. So I decided on leaving now. Not in a week as planned, but tonight and let them enjoy Napa Valley alone, like two newlyweds are supposed to.

I sighed again and finished my drink in one long sip. Then I headed back to my room in the hotel and shimmied out of the floor length baby green dress I had worn for the wedding and into the most comfortable pair of jeans I own and the simplest white top with my favorite sneakers. I added a light jacket and packed my suitcase. I heard mom giggle with Phil as they passed my door to get to their room and I called the groom to carry my suitcase to the car. We had driven from Phoenix earlier in the week and I had chosen to drive my own car instead of traveling with mom with Phil. Mom thought it was weird, Phil understood I needed my own space for the long drive.

I asked the clerk at the reception desk to give mom a letter the next day and got into my car. According to mapquest on my phone, Forks was fifteen hours of non-stop driving away. No way I'm gonna make it at once.

Strangely enough I did make it with only the occasional stop for gas and coffee!

I was on a crossroad outside Olympia when I saw a grey SUV parked with the trademark yellow triangle in front of it and a girl about my age muttering angrily and kicking her car. I stopped right behind it.

"Do you need any help?"

I asked cautiously. The road was deserted apart from us and it was 4.30am on a Sunday, if she is a crazy killer on the loose I'm dead.

"The damn thing stopped and won't start again"

She kicked the car again for good measure. I stood next to her

"I wish I knew anything about cars to help you"

"Why did you stop then?"

She snorted. She had huge bags under her eyes.

"I've been driving for hours and frankly it's far too scary to be alone right now"

I shivered as she did the same

"Did you call Triple E?"

"Yeah, they'll be here soon. I'm sorry I snapped, it's been a long week"

She apologized.

"It's alright, it's late and I'm sure you're tired. Do you mind if I wait with you? I'm pretty sure I'll fall asleep any minute now"

She yawned nodding.

"I'm Cassie"

"Bella"

We shook hands.

"so... what's wrong with the car?"

I asked her a few minutes later when the silence got to me

"Beats me. It started smoking and then died"

I turned to look at the smoking engine as she had popped the hood. it smelled burnt rubber and still had smoke coming off it. Charlie, my dad, had shown me the very basics of a car last year when he and mom bought me my car on my birthday, so I looked at the engine trying to see if anything came to mind, really wanted it to be fixed so we could both leave off this deserted road. Next to me Cassie was doing the same thing. Suddenly, right about when I felt hypnotized by staring at the car it stopped smoking at the engine worked.

both Cassie and I jumped back.

"what the?"

"maybe it needed to cool down?"

I offered meekly. Frankly the car engine that dies and comes back to life on its own its scary but everything is at almost five am after a long sleepless night. Cassie slammed the hook of the car closed and pulled her blond wavy hair in a ponytail.

"as long as it works till I get to my grandma, I'm good"

she joked.

"where does your grandmother live?"

"in a tiny dot on the map called chance harbor. Do you know it?"

I shook my head.

"I haven't been here for years and last time I flew in. Is it anywhere near Port Angeles?"

I asked remembering the slightly bigger town near forks. Cassie looked at the map she had laid on the now cool hood and beamed. I looked at her map over her shoulder.

"Yes! Looks like it's less than an inch away"

"Well I can tag along till we reach it but I'm going the other way after that."

I pointed to the tiny dot near PA that was Forks. It truly was on the other side of PA and Chance Harbor.

"as long as you can keep an eye on the car incase it goes caboom!"

she joked and i laughed along at the somewhat crappy joke.

"Let's go then"

I urged her and got in my Mini. I led her lead and roughly two hours later we parted ways while crossing Port Angeles. One hour after that and I was pulling outside the house I was born and haven't stepped foot in for the past ten years. I didn't take any moment to look at the house nostalgically like they do on movies and simply knocked on the door hard enough to break it and collapsed in the arms of the man that opened it moments later.

"Bells?"

"Goodnight dad"


	2. Cliques

Chapter 2 - Cliques

I woke up again feeling equally tired as if I had just blinked instead of slept for what was according to my watch was almost a day. I sat up and looked around me.

I was in a large-ish room painted by someone that couldn't decide on the color. One wall was baby pink, another was covered in a wallpaper of a city in night time and the last two were painted in a darker pink with some silver lines and whatnot, the bright morning light made the room look like a rose petal held up to the sun. I smiled seeing it. Charlie never repainted!

I was laid in a queen sized bed that was situated upon a dais. Two small side tables were on each side. The one on my right had a cordless phone and an alarm clock and the one on my left was bare and both had a small lamp on. A large desk was positioned against a wall right under a window, and next to it was a smaller table that with an ottoman and a mirror. The far wall had a large dresser and a wardrobe. The last wall was smaller, had a large window and a small window seat underneath it along with my old rocking chair from when I was a baby. All in all it's a very girlie room.

I was suddenly parched but I also reeked. A shower was in order. I got out of my room and if I remember correctly the bathroom is on my side of the corridor. I opened said door slowly hoping a half naked Charlie wasn't on the other side and voila! I found the bathroom.

It was covered in blue tiles on the shade of the summer sky. I took long hot shower and only emerged from the shower when the water ran cold. I wrapped myself in a big fluffy towel. After I brushed my teeth I took a moment to look in the mirror. My face was heart shaped and my wavy hair was the color of dark chocolate but I knew they'd turn to the lighter color of auburn when they dried. My eyes were the equal dark shade of green that was almost brown with dense long eyelashes. my lips were on the full side with the bottom one being only a bit fuller than the top. Everyone tells me I'm pretty, I think I'm ordinary.

I returned to my room wondering what time it was because I could hear Charlie's snoring through the wall perfectly. It was five am so I took my time getting dressed in a clean pair of PJ's and decided to get settled enjoying the quiet. When Charlie woke up at seven I had unpacked, my clothes were hanged in the wardrobe and folded in the dresser. Photos were propped on the dresser, my laptop was on the desk, books were on the small bookshelf on the other side of the desk and breakfast was cooked and served on the table in the kitchen.

"Good morning dad"

"Morning. Did you do all this bells?"

"Yeah. Hope you still like pancakes but I used pretty much everything in the pantry"

He sat down on the table and began eating while I served us coffee and joined him.

"That's ok, I'll go shopping later. What time did you wake up?"

"Early, too early"

"How was the road trip and why did you get here a week early?"

"It was nice, long, tiring and I decided to take my time and let mom enjoy her vacation instead of burning rubber to get here in a week. I'm sorry I didn't call"

He waved

"That's alright. I'm just glad you made it in one piece. I just enrolled you for next week at school. I'll go with you to change it"

Go to school in the cruiser? How about not? Charlie is the sheriff here in Forks and I'd rather walk than go to school in the cruiser.

"Can't I do that? I have my transcripts from Phoenix with me"

Charlie nodded chewing

"You could. Go get ready and I'll show you the way on my way to work"

"Thanks dad"

I smiled at him gratefully. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling and I have no idea where I put my pendant. I got dressed quickly in a denim skirt, a blue tank top and a denim vest. I added a short sleeved black leather jacket and left it unopened and put my shoes on. I've always been more of a 'jeans and a tank with sneakers' kind of girl but I really view this move as a new beginning. A chance to be someone new.

"You can do this"

I instructed the girl in the mirror who looked ready to faint... or throw up... or both and dabbed a bit of bubblegum lip-gloss before shouldering my empty bag and headed downstairs.

"Dad? Did you see my ring? It's in the shape of half-moon and light purple in color"

"it fell when I carried you inside yesterday. I put it in your car"

"Thanks daddy"

I found my ring sitting innocently on the driver's seat and I slipped it on my pointer finger on my right hand feeling better instantly. Grandma Emily, mom's mom, gave it to me when I turned thirteen saying it'd help me feel better and she was right. Every time I put it on I feel seriously better, one of those weird things I guess.

I got in my car and followed Charlie's cruiser down to the other side of the town and to the school. He honked at me a couple times as he drove away and I parked.

How bad can a new school be?

"Not bad"

I decided upon arriving at the large-ish building. The school was a collection of buildings with a large parking lot in front of it. No metal detectors, no chain fences, nothing even remotely familiar with Phoenix. Where did the feeling of education go? I asked myself and shook my head parking next to a pristine silver car thinking how normal it seemed for my new Mini to be next to an obviously expensive car but not seeming out of place with the trucks and the SUV's around it. I smiled at that, I never liked to stand out in a crowd.

I left the car unlocked thinking who would steal my car when the Chief of police is my dad and walked into the building and went to the secretary who looked at me, then read my name and ushered me at the headmaster. I'm at the principal's office on my first day, epic!

Headmaster Capwell was a handsome man, around Charlie's age who welcomed me at the school, took my transcripts and put them in my folder without even reading them, gave me my schedule, took me to my locker and accompanied me to my first class. All the time he had a smile on as if he expected me to either break into a song or start walking on air.

It was unnerving.

Thankfully the fact that most of my classes were AP helped a lot so I had no problem with the transition and the day passed uneventfully for the most part. The only highlight was a girl with fuzzy brown hair that attached her to my side and insisted on giving me the gossip on everyone and I admit I tuned her out after five minutes and insisted on me joining her and her friends during lunch. I'll admit I was too nervous to turn down the invitation.

Her table was full of people that kept asking me questions of 'how do you like Forks?' I've been here for five hours, ask me tomorrow! 'is it better than phoenix?' it's definitely more humid! etc etc etc My eyes fell on two groups of people sitting on the opposite ends of the cafeteria.

One group of people were statuesque. They didn't move, talk or eat. There were five of them, three boys and two girls. Honestly all five looked as if they belonged on the window of a boutique. Are they built in those positions? As if he heard my musings one of the boys snapped around and glared at me. I stared back just as rudely as he did but one wider glance at the size of the biggest boy made me drop my eyes. I do not want to have someone that big against me. Seriously had he od'ed on steroids?

The other group was the exact opposite. Two boys made jokes making the rest of them laugh and kept tossing their food to the other, one girl with light brown hair with pink streaks that was ignoring them both and was sketching only to use her sketchbook as a shield against a flying piece of apple and another girl with black hair and glasses that kept stealing the fries of one of the boys. The last occupant was a guy with black hair like the other two who mirrored the sketch girl. he was writing furiously on a paper.

"Don't bother"

Jessica, the girl that had glued herself to me, demanded my attention once again.

"Bother what?"

"Get their attention. They're the IT groups."

"'IT' groups? isn't there supposed to be only one of them per school?"

she found that funny and broke in a fit of giggles that made me question he sanity for a moment. she sobered up quickly realizing no one else laughed.

"They are the Cullens. Foster kids of the local doctor and they're all paired together. the big guy, Emmett, with the blond girl, Rosalie, and her brother, the blond guy, jasper with the short girl, Alice. The only available one is the guy with the reddish hair, Edwards but no one around here is good enough for him"

she sniffled and i hid my smile. how many time has he turned her down, I wonder?

"and the others?"

"the pranksters, tom and Jerry and yes those are their real names"

she said seeing my expression, seriously who names their kids tom and jerry?

"are the principal's kids. His first name is Hector you know"

that's who!

"the other guy is Lucas, the local musician but also not looking for a girlfriend"

she sighed again.

"the freak girl with the weird hair, April, is the mayor's daughter and the last one is Angela. She's the minister's kid and she's pretty nice. She works at the school paper but is too busy to make friends outside their clique"

Jessica informed me. Judging from her minimal need to breath and constant yammering I can see why Angela is with her group. I nodded chewing and luckily I was saved by the bell.

Little did I know...


	3. A premature death

Chapter 3 – A premature death

After lunch the whole table and Angela headed to biology. The teacher looked apologetic when he sent me to sit next to no one else but the mysterious redhead boy from lunch.

He glared at me as soon as I sat down. Jeez! I didn't ask to be seated here you know! I deemed it safer to keep my mouth sat and instead tossed my hair over my left shoulder to act as a curtain between us. I could feel his eyes on me throughout class. I was about to pop out of my seat and hightail it out of the class when the bell rang but he stopped me. He was about to speak when someone called my name demanding my attention before I could get lost in his deep black eyes. It was the girl with the glasses.

"Hi, I'm Angela"

She said friendly and walked with me to the last class of the day making walking away from Edward the easiest thing in the world and straight into hell.

Gym the dreaded class as I have a very bad relationship with gravity or sports in general. I truly hope the yoga classes I've been taking all summer actually help out or else I'm going to have to ask (beg on my knees if I have to) to be excused from the class for basic grade. Never worked in Phoenix even though the coach had a tendency to look at the girls' boobs when we talked to him!

Luckily it was my first day so the gods decided I did not have to participate. Color me happy! I made a stop by the secretary's desk to return the slip she had handed me at the beginning of the day and hopped into my car to go to the safe heaven called 'home'.

I had parked, made a mental note to buy gas and was about to unlock the front door when a melodic voice stopped me.

"Isabella?"

I turned around slowly and found myself looking straight into the same pair of captivating black eyes.

"H..Hello"

I stammered resisting the urge to blink.

"can we go for a walk?"

the melodic voice asked and I nodded without even thinking about it. a cold hand grasped mine and led me to the back of the house where the yard met the woods. My feet walked on unthinkingly, I'd follow that voice and those eyes to the edge of the world if I could. I didn't even noticed when my bag slipped off my shoulder or when my keys hit the ground with a loud clank.

Edward led me a few feet after the first line of trees and pushed me none too gently against one. he lifted one finger against his lips

"shhhh"

he said and I nodded. I couldn't speak if my life depended on it. he lifted my right hand to his lips and kissed it. his lips were as cold and unyielding as his fingers had been. then he tilted my head to the side and placed another kiss on the base of my neck. I shivered with pleasure. The feeling was cut short at the feeling of razors cutting my skin though.

Suddenly the trance was broken and I screamed. I tried to push him away feeling something warm trickle down my throat. I felt my life slipping away and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Tears fell off my eyes and I kept kicking and scratching him but to no avail. He wasn't moving.

Suddenly it began raining. Heavy rain fell on us but Edward seemed unphased by it as he grabbed me tighter against him.

Thunders boomed loudly and the air was thick with electricity. One boom sounded particularly close and in my haze I thought it hit right on Edward.

He let go off me as he fell backwards like neo in matrix as his body convulsed. I slid towards the ground slowly and was propped against the base of the thick tree. I felt blood on my neck dripping down my chest but felt unable to move to wipe it away.

Why can't I move?

I could hear chanting and saw the lighting stop. Edward was knelt on the ground panting and looked at me. his eyes widened and he took off running. my eyes must be playing tricks on me because he became a blur and he was gone immediately.

I saw a face with matted pink hair in front of me and far too warm fingers held my face.

"stop the rain Jerry"

she ordered but Jerry argued.

"I'm not doing it, it's her"

I blinked trying to focus on the blue/gray eyes but they were blurring. I let my eyes flutter close and my head fell to the side.

"Crap he bit her"

Someone said right before I fell asleep. No pain, no rain, no fears. Only warmth, love and happiness surrounded me as I saw my dead grandma and a blinding light behind her.

"It's alright honey. I'm here now"

She whispered as she hugged me. If this is how death feels I'm ok to be dead.


	4. Kids step aside! Time for the grownups

Chapter 4 – Kids stay aside, let the Parents talk

No POV

What Jessica had called the 'It' clique were driving down the road to their houses. They all lived in one of the oldest roads in Forks dead center of what was a large pentacle across the town.

Twins Tom and Jerry Capwell were riding their motorcycles, Tom had Ariel Scott as a passenger and Jerry had Lucas Wayne. Behind them Angela Webber was riding her Bug with her little brothers.

A sudden downpour made them skid to a stop in front of Ariel's house. Tom took his helmet off and looked towards the house on the right. A metallic blue 2010 mini was parked in the driveway.

"What's that?"

Ariel said and led the group to Bella's fallen bag. Jerry picked the keys that were behind it.

"Something's wrong with this rain"

Tom muttered, Lucas nodded his light brown hair matted on his forehead. Angela's crystal quartz pendulum that served as a pendant on her neck began feeling warm and she took it off. she held in her hand and it began swinging to the direction behind the house.

"Guys, this way"

All five of them ran behind the house and stopped dead on their tracks. One of the teenage vampires from school was busy biting Bella's neck and was currently being hit by lighting until it suddenly wasn't and the vampire ran away. April ran to the fallen girl and looked at her.

"He bit her!"

she shouted. Tom and Jerry made a move to ran after Edward but Angela stopped them.

"No, she's more important"

Lucas slipped in the muddy ground before he picked Bella up in his arms. Angela took the keys from tom and opened the kitchen door of Bella's house. Lucas laid the girl on the kitchen table. tom and jerry, serious for once, began to gather water to clean the wound, Ariel put water on the stove to warm it and Angela ran to her house to bring her pouch of herbs. the group worked quietly and quickly to boil the herbs Angela brought, Ariel wetted a kitchen towel in the warm water and then placed it on the bite on Bella's neck. Angela then took initiative as leader of their circle.

"Luc, grab her legs, the rest of you form a circle around her holding hands and pray. If we're lucky it's not too late to save her"

Lucas touched Bella's feet, tom on his left and Ariel on his right touching his shoulders, jerry sat behind Angela who was holding Bella's head gently, making sure his chest touched her back and took Ariel's and tom's hands in his own. Together they all prayed.

Charlie felt a coldness in his chest. He whistled for the akita dog he had as a partner to come to him and he jumped into his cruiser speeding home. There was a burnt smell in the air and he unlocked the door.

"Bella?"

he shouted.

"Crap!"

Angela cried. Bella was pale and her heartbeat was slow, very slow. Lucas whipped out his phone.

"I'll call aunt Gill, we'll need an ambulance. Tom, Jer you go and stall Charlie. He can't see her like that"

the twin boys went to intercept the scared father while Ariel hid the bowl of water and Angela wiped the leaves of Bella's throat.

"Chief"

the twins spoke at the same time. The dog pushed between them and ran to the kitchen, going out the kitchen door and to the spot were Bella was bitten barking wildly.

"what's going on here boys?"

Charlie said with authority dripping from his tone.

"study group"

Tom stammered. with a sideways glance jerry kept the lie

"we were studying but Bella fell asleep"

Charlie's eyes traveled from one boy to the other. He looked behind them to the kitchen to see his daughter pale with blood trailing down her neck. An image was born behind his eyes where a certain copper head vampire had pushed her against a tree and bit her. His blood froze before red, hot anger fought to take control of him. He nodded stiffly

"I need to run to the store. You stay here kids"

he ordered and turned around. Behind him the twins exhaled heavily. Charlie stomped outside and whipping out his cell phone he made six very important phone calls. He drove to the Indian reservation and was soon joined by five more people. Two men and three women. His circle.

"What's wrong?"

A frazzled woman with blond hair asked him. Her scared eyes met Charlie's steely gaze.

"A vampire bit my daughter"

"WHAT?"

A woman with short wavy brown hair asked him. She was holding a large medical bag

"Do I need to get to her?"

"No Gill. Our kids are with her. They're taking care of her."

"Medically or magically?"

She asked almost ready to hop in her car.

"Both"

Charlie answered eliciting a relieved breath from everyone.

"Is she gonna be ok?"

Gillian's sister, Delia, asked fearfully. Charlie shook his head trying not to think about the possibility of his daughter dying.

"What can we do?"

Minister Samuel Webber asked stoically. He was a man of God but his family came form a long line of witches.

"I'd love to kill him, personally, but I'll settle for breaking a few of his bones"

Charlie growled and the others nodded. The last person in the group was no one else but headmaster Capwell.

"We know where they live but we can't go alone. We're strong but so are they. Be reasonable Charles."

"We could always call Harry. If he bit your daughter then he broke the treaty. It's within the wolves' rights to fight with us"

Penelope Scott proposed. The others thought about it and Charlie, the leader of the parents' circle, called Harry Clearwater to have him meet them at the Cullen house.

Soon the six witches were standing in a line in front of the large Cullen mansion. They were flagged by werewolves on either side of them in their wolf forms. With a nod from everyone Charlie knocked on the door and it was opened by mommy vampire.

Her dark golden eyes widened as she took in the line of witches and wolves in front of her.

"we need to talk. Now!"

Charlie announced. Esme gulped and nodded letting them enter her home. Gillian raised an eyebrow.

"Outside!"

she barked. One by one the members of the Cullen family appeared and formed a line standing like an army opposite the parents.

"Why are you here, Charles?"

Carlisle Cullen, head of the vampire coven attempted smalltalk.

"Your 'son' but my daughter"

Charlie said coldly. Carlisle's eyes widened comically

"Really?"

he said in what he hoped was a normal surprised tone. Charlie's eyebrows furrowed and he had to hold himself back so that he wouldn't attack the vampire.

"Really"

Hector Capwell said in a purposely detached tone.

"How unfortunate. Are you sure it was Edward's fault?"

Esme asked hoping to dissolve the matter before it got out of hands. Delia rolled her eyes and looked at her

"so you mean he got a cold and his eyes are all bloody red?"

she mocked. All the vampires flinched and the blond daughter glared at Edward who looked at the ground not regretting biting the girl and making plans on finishing her off. as if he read his mind one of the wolves growled loudly.

"You have broken the treaty. You have 2 hours to leave Forks or we will attack"

Harry Clearwater said in a final tone.

"No!"

Rosalie spoke again. Charlie raised an eyebrow at her

"Edward broke the treaty. Not the rest of us"

Carlisle said making his eldest son look at him at disbelief.

"what are you proposing then?"

Samuel asked, trying to remain calm.

"Only he will leave. And never return"

Carlisle finished coldly. He liked the small town and had no intention of leaving it. At Edward's surprise, no one in his family stood up for him.

'I am sorry son, but you messed up'

Were Esme's thoughts as she mourned for him mentally but she couldn't and wouldn't go against her mate.

"This isn't over"

Edward threatened before he stomped like a three year old to his room thoughts of revenge plaguing his mind as he packed.


	5. Kidnapping

Chapter 5 - Kidnap

Bella pov

I had woken up in the house all alone with a mop of wet leaves stuck to the side of my neck. A large white/light brown dog was wide awake and sitting on the floor, its intelligent icy blue eyes were trained on me.

For some reason though I wasn't afraid though and I extended one hand to pat the dog while slowly sitting up.

"ugh. Kitchen tables? Not fun to sleep on"

I muttered and slowly sat up. The kitchen was dark except for a small night light that was above the arch that served as a doorway to it.

I got up, hit the lights to turn them on and softly I felt for the soggy leaves on my neck and tossed them in the sink. Wasn't it a dream? Did that guy, 'Edward' Jessica's voice rang in my head, really did bite me? People don't bite, right? Well, sure, Hannibal Lekter bit people but he was a movie character.

I touched my neck and could feel the slightly raised teeth marks. The dog howled lowly in my ears and walked before me up the stairs and into the bathroom. He (I think it's a He anyways) sat in front of the tub and barked.

"That's actually a good idea buddy"

I agreed and chuckling I stepped in the shower and then let the dog take me to bed and curl up against my legs and soon fell asleep again.

No pov

Charlie returned home feeling elated and happy. The house was oddly quiet and the only sound he heard was Oli the akita dog he had for work. He checked the rooms quickly and smiled when he saw Bella sleeping soundly in her bed with the large dog sharing her bed.

he whistled lowly to get the dog to follow him and he changed clothes quickly. his eyes traveled to the open window and he sighed seeing the full moon. He closed the door behind him quietly and returned to work. The house had to be empty.

She came awake all at once, sucking in her breath. The room was silent and I couldn't hear a darn thing. Not the dog breathing, not even Charlie's snoring, and THAT was hard to miss.

I blinked a few times but all I could see was black. There was no light coming from the windows. Phoenix was never this dark!

My heart was beating loudly in my chest and I could feel eyes on me. There was someone in the room with me. Oh, God, I could feel them. It felt like a pressure on my skin, like a radiation of cold.

Had Edward come back to finish me off?

I tried to sit up but a sudden sound stopped me. The unmistakable creak of a floorboard.

I opened my mouth to scream and there was a rush in the darkness and something clapped over my mouth. I panicked and began thrashing on my bed fighting back but it didn't do any good. Whoever was in my room was far stronger and could see in the dark, I can't!

My arms were being caught and held by something ice cold. Something equally frozen had my feet. I was being rolled over and over. Wrapped in the sheet and I couldn't move. My arms were trapped and so were my legs and I was being lifted. I couldn't scream;

I was choking.

Something had been pushed over my head, a hood of some sort suffocating me. And the most terrible thing was the silence, the utter, continuing silence. Whatever had her was as noiseless as a ghost.

A ghost...

...and I was wrapped in a shroud.

I was being carried by more than one person. That was certain. My arms and legs were being restrained not only by the winding material of the sheet, but by hands. It was like a nightmare, but I knew I was not asleep.

Then everything stopped. I was being set on my feet. The sheet was unwinding; A light cold breeze hit my legs, and the flimsy short nightgown I had put did nothing to protect me against it. Soon my arms were free as well.

Weakly I grabbed out but my wrists were caught and held behind me. I was still blind, my captor hadn't removed the hood. It was hot inside, and I was breathing my own carbon dioxide. I became dizzier with every breath I took and swayed on my feet.

Then I heard a sound that changed everything. It was a chuckle. Slow and rich and masculine. Amused. Unmistakable. One of the Capwell twins.

My fear was gone, only to be replaced with sheer terror. Jessica had said the twins were dangerous and suddenly I understood why.

"Walk"

The twin said, the voice was commanding and the image of my brain told me it was the blondish twin, Tom. I felt a push in the center of my back. My hands had been tied together behind me and the cord cut into my skin.

I staggered on unsteady feet and took a hesitant step.

"Straight ahead"

Tom said. I staggered another step on unwilling feet and an arm steadied me. It came from the side.

Tom wasn't alone, then. Well, of course not; the twins were never apart from what I had heard. Funny how important sight is. I had never realized how important it was to see, not that my balance would be any better if I could see...

However it was terrifying to be made to walk like this, on and on into nothingness. For all I knew the twins might be marching me straight off a cliff.

No, not a cliff.

We weren't on a bluff; we were on the beach. Although i couldn't see, now that the sheet wasn't suffocating me, my other senses were functioning.

From the left came the slow, rhythmic roar of waves. Under my feet was crumbling, slightly damp sand. A cold breeze lifted my nightgown and the cold air grazed my legs making me regret my short nightdress. Why didn't I put on my old ratty sweats again?

The air smelled of salt and seaweed, it was oddly refreshing and cathartic.

"Stop."

I obeyed automatically. A sudden pressure at my neck made me stiffen. someone had grabbed the bottom of the hood and was tightening it warningly.

"Do not talk unless you're asked a question. Do not move unless you're told. Do you understand?"

Numbly, I nodded.

"Now take one step forward. Turn to your left. Stop. Stay right there. Don't make a sound."

Hands moved at the back of my neck and then there was a glorious rush of cool air as the hood was lifted away. I took a breath of the cold salty air and stared in astonishment at the fantastic scene before me.

'Black and white. Everything was stark black and white, like a scene from the surface of the moon.'

There was the moon in front of me. Pure white, hanging beautifully above the sea, in a perfect circle of fullness. The ocean was as black as the sky, except for the ghostly white foam on the waves. And in front of it stood a figure that seemed to shine with a pale light.

'Angela?'

She was wearing a thin white shift that left her arms bare. Clasped around one upper arm was a wide cuff of silver with strange engraving on it. On her forehead was a sort of diadem with a full moon. Her long black hair, hanging loose beneath it.

In her hand was a dagger.


	6. Initiation

Chapter 6 – Initiation

Mesmerized, I stared at the blade of the dagger, at the moonlight shimmering on it. Then my eyes traveled to Angela's face.

"Turn around,"

The voice, that as I now saw belonged to the fair haired twin, said a voice said and I obeyed.

'Well, at least they won't kill me. I hope!'

A circle was drawn in the sand, a big one. Inside and outside were candles, stuck right into the beach. Wax was melting on the sand. The candles were all sizes, all colors. Some looked as if they had been burning a long time, from the amount of wax pooled beneath them and the way they had slumped. Every flame was dancing in the slight breeze.

Inside the circle were the members of the Club.

The 'IT' clique as Jessica had described them. Ariel, Lucas, Tom and Jerry. The same faces I had seen gathered around the table in the cafeteria today. God! had only been a day? It feels as if it had been years since I moved to the small town.

Angela walked past me and stepped into the circle. Suddenly I realized that the ring drawn in the sand was not complete. There was a gap in its northeast corner, directly in front of me.

I was standing just outside the threshold.

Then, Angela spoke, her voice clear and musical, but she was not addressing me.

"Who challenges her?"

Lucas' throaty voice rose in answer.

"I do."

He took the dagger from Angela's hands and came up to me. A dark gleam in his eyes. A part of me told me to run but the voice inside me commanded me to stay. He held the dagger straight into my throat and it pricked, pressing slightly into the hollow and I felt my eyes widen. I refused to show my fear anymore that I already had and did my best to hold completely still.

Lucas' cobalt blue eyes were gazing straight into mine. There was a sort of fierce pleasure in their depths, and the same heat I had heard in his voice in the forest earlier today when Edward had tried to kill me.

Lucas smiled a slow, scary smile, and the pressure of the blade against my throat increased.

"I challenge you,"

He said directly to Bella.

"If there is any fear in your heart, it would be better for you to throw yourself forward on this dagger than to continue. So what is it, Bella?"

he added, her voice dropping to a lazy, intimate murmur that could scarcely have been heard by the others.

"Is there fear in your heart? Careful how you answer."

Dumbfounded, Bella I stared at him biting my tongue.

'Fear in my hear? Of course there is fear in my heart you moron! The terror twins broke into my house bound me up and brought me to a freaking bitch like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter! Not to mention the freak that most probably tried to kill me. Why would there be fear in my heart?'

But then I remembered the freak rain shower and the even freakier lighting that hit Edward. Weird as it may be, I'm pretty sure I did that.

In my mind's eye I saw myself as a little girl dressed in the ridiculous tutu when Renee had decided I'd be a ballerina. In front of the little girl was an older woman. A woman with two faces, one mature and one old with wisdom pouring out of her eyes. The woman held her hand out to the little girl who accepted it and my young face was joined with the other two. The now tripled woman smiled at me and nodded.

The image dissipated when I blinked and Lucas' face came into my vision again. I gazed straight into those cobalt blue eyes and said clearly.

"No, there's not an ounce of fear in me"

The moment I spoke the words out loud I felt the symptoms of terror drop away. The weakness, the giddiness, my heard stopped the crazy rhythm it had and gave up on beating itself out of my chest. I stood up straight even though my hands were still tied behind my back and the dagger point was still at my throat.

Something flared in Lucas' eyes. Something like grim respect. His smile changed and nodded almost imperceptibly. The next instant his caramel eyebrows were raised ironically.

"Then step inside,"

'Straight forward? Into the dagger blade? '

I held his eyes refusing to back down and took a hesitant step forward. To my utmost surprise just as I felt a tiny drop of blood on my throat the blade yielded before me.

Lucas stepped back. I was inside the circle.

Angela took the dagger from him and went to the break in the circle behind me. Drawing the knife through the sand, she bridged the gap, making the circle complete. I had an odd sensation of closure, of something sealing. As if a door had been locked behind me and i had no way of leaving.

"Come to the center,"

Angela said. I tried to walk tall as she did. Thankfully I didn't trip. Angela's shift was slit all the way up to the hip on one side. There was something on Angela's long, well-made upper leg. A garter? That was what it looked like. Like the ornamental bands of lace and ribbon that a bride wears to throw at a wedding. Except that this was made of something like green suede and lined with blue silk. It had a silver buckle.

"Turn around"

I hoped the cord binding my wrists was going to be cut but instead I felt hands on my shoulders, spinning me faster and faster. I was being whirled around and pushed from side to side, from person to person. For an instant panic surged through me again. I was dizzy, disoriented. With my hands tied I couldn't catch myself if I fell and that knife was somewhere...

'Just go with it. Relax'

the voice guided her again. And magically, the fear dissolved. I let myself be bounced from one person to another. If I fell, I fell. Hands steadied me, stood me facing Angela again. I was slightly breathless and the world was reeling.

"You've been challenged and you've passed the tests,"

Angela informed her, and now there was a little smile in her black eyes, although her lips were grave.

"Now are you willing to swear? Swear to be loyal to the Circle? Never to harm anyone who stands inside it? Will you protect and defend those who do, even if it costs you your life?"

"Yes."

"Will you swear never to reveal the secrets you will learn, except to a proper person, within a properly prepared Circle like the one we stand in now? Will you swear to keep these secrets from all outsiders, friends and enemies, even if it costs you your life?"

"Yes,"

I whispered.

"By the ocean, by the moon, by your own blood, will you so swear?"

"Yes."

"Say, 'I will so swear.' "

"I will so swear."

"She has been challenged and tested, and she has been sworn,"

Angela said, stepping back and speaking to the others.

"And now, since all of us in the Circle agree, I call on the Powers to look at her."

Angela raised the dagger above her head, pointing the blade at the sky. Then she pointed it to the east, toward the ocean, then to the south, then toward the western cliff, then toward the north. Finally, she pointed it at me. The words she spoke as she did sent shock waves running down my spine:

_Earth and water, fire and air, _

_See your daughter standing there. _

_By dark of moon and light of sun, _

_As I will, let it be done._

_By challenge, trial, and sacred vow, _

_Let her join the Circle now. _

_Flesh and sinew, blood and bone, _

_Isabella now becomes our own._

Everything happened at once then. The sea rose in a magnificent wave that came out and touched my toes, the earth shook for the quickest of the moments, the fire from the candles rose almost to my thighs, the air felt still and the moon shone directly upon me casting like a spotlight for a breath. I truly felt reborn.

"That's it,"

Ariel said softly from her spot behind me.

"You're in."


	7. Explanations

Chapter 7 - Explanations

No POV

'In. I'm in'

Bella knew, with a feeling of wild exhilaration, that nothing would ever be the same again.

"Bella."

Angela was unclasping the silver necklace she was wearing. Bella's eyes were drawn to the pendant. It had a triple moon, the waxing, full and waning one and a drop of amethyst had from the full moon that was covered with a yellow butterfly. The full moon part of it was identical to the one on the diadem (sans the butterfly), Bella realized-and like Lucas' tattoo.

"This is a token of your membership in the Circle."

Angela said, fastening the chain around Bella's neck and then she hugged Bella. It wasn't a spontaneous gesture; it had more the feeling of a ritual. Next she turned Bella around to face the others and cut the cord from her hands, saying

"The Powers have accepted her. I've accepted her. Now each of you has to."

Ariel was the first to step up. Her face was serious, but there was a genuine warmth and friendliness in the depths of her light grey eyes. She hugged Bella and then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"I'm glad you're one of us,"

She whispered, and stepped back, her long, light-brown hair with the happy pink strands fluttering slightly in the breeze.

"Thanks,"

Tom hurried up, looking eager. His hug was a little too long and too close for Bella's taste, and she ended up having to extricate herself. His eyes were fixed on her nightgown in a way that made Bella wish it were flannel instead of light cotton.

"Glad you're in"

"Real glad"

His twin, Jerry copied him with his hands sliding a little to the curve of her butt and only pulling away at Bella's cough.

"I can tell,"

She said under her breath as he stepped back, and Angela, standing beside her, had to bite her lip.

And then it was Lucas' turn.

Bella felt something inside her tighten. It wasn't that she was attracted to him, exactly, but... she couldn't help feeling a slight inner tremor when she looked up at him. He was so handsome, and the coldness that surrounded him like a thin layer of dark ice seemed only to enhance his looks. He'd challenged her with such fire in his eyes that came to a complete turn to his current detachment, as if he was a different person now and none of it affected him one way or another. Even his embrace was noncommittal. Sexless. As if he was merely going through the motions while thinking of something else.

"All right,"

Angela said quietly.

"That's it for the initiation ritual. I think we should formally dispel the Circle, but go on and have a regular meeting. That way we can get Bella caught up on what she needs to know."

Bella took the quiet moment to turn to the twins

"If either of you two ever comes into my bedroom again when I'm sleeping, I'll hand you both from the ceiling fan by your nose hair and set it really, really fast. Understood?"

The twins' eyes widened comically and they nodded fiercely as if they were copying bobble heads.

Angela smiled to herself at the leader tone of Bella's voice. Her soft smile turned to rueful when she realized the dulcet tones it suddenly had. The girl in the nightgown was their natural leader and it was her job to help her prepare for it.

Mechanically she picked up a handful of sand and poured it over the line drawn on the beach. The others followed suit, each pouring a handful and smoothing it down so that the circle's outline was blurred, erased. Then they distributed themselves among the still-lighted candles, some sitting on the sand, others on out-thrusts of rock. Lucas remained standing, a cigarette in his mouth.

Angela waited until everyone was quiet, looking at her, then she turned to Bella. Her face was grave and her black eyes were earnest.

"Now that you're one of us, I think it's time to tell you what we are."

Bella's breath caught. So many bizarre things had happened to her since she'd come to Forks, and now she was about to hear the explanation. But strangely, she wasn't sure she needed to be told. Ever since they'd brought her here tonight, all sorts of things had been arranging themselves in her mind. A hundred little oddities that she'd noticed about Forks, both now and while growing up, in the summers she visited her dad. A hundred little mysteries that she'd been unable to solve. Somehow, her brain had begun putting them together, and now...

She looked at the faces around her, lit by moonlight and flickering candlelight.

"I think that I already know. Some of it, at least."

"Oh, yes? Why don't you tell us, then?"

Lucas watched her carefully. Bella looked at Diana, who nodded.

"Well, for one thing, I know you're not the Mickey Mouse Club."

she started off, opting for humor instead of one of the deepest feelings in her. Everyone chuckled.

"I know... I know that you can light fires without matches. And that feverfew and witch hazel isn't used in salads"

She said lowly playing with her long nails while playing images in her head. Lucas starting a small fire in science class, the soggy leaves she had on her earlier and the club mentioning their salads during lunch.

Lucas scratched the back of his neck nervous; Tom did his best to appear innocent while Jerry chuckled under his breath.

"I know that you can make things move when they're not alive."

She looked Ariel in the eyes remembering a dead goldfish move on its own to the dumpster.

Ariel smiled back friendly, looking unapologetic. Angela murmured,

"Sssssss..."

"I know you're untouchable at school and that everyone stopped talking to me when I said we live in the same road"

Angela cleared her throat amazed.

"You're right. You've learned a lot from just watching-and we've been a little lax with security. But I think you should hear the entire story from the beginning."


	8. Once upon a time

Chapter 8 – Once upon a time

"Once upon a time, there was a quaint little village called Salem. And it was just filled with quaint little Puritans-all-American, hardworking, honest, brave, and true."

The ocean, with its endlessly breaking waves, formed a perfect background as Angela began to pace back and forth.

"These Puritans were filled with pure little thoughts. A few just may have been unhappy with their boring little Puritan lives, all work, no play, dresses up to here and six hours of church on Sundays... And the neighbors, All those neighbors who watched you, gossiped about you, monitored you to make sure you weren't wearing an extra button on your dress or smiling on your way to meeting. You had to be meek in those days, and keep your eyes down, and do as you were told without asking questions. If you were a girl, anyway. You weren't even allowed to play with dolls because they were things of the devil."

Bella was fascinated

"And maybe some of those young girls weren't so happy. Who knows? But anyway, one winter a few of them got together to tell fortunes. They shouldn't have, of course. It was wicked. But they did it anyway. One of them had a slave who came from the West Indies and knew about fortune-telling. It helped to while away those long, dull winter nights."

"But it preyed on their poor little Puritan minds. They felt guilty. And eventually one of them had a nervous collapse. She got sick, delirious, and she confessed. Then the secret was out. And all the other young girls were on the hot seat. It wasn't good in those days to get caught fooling around with the supernatural. The grown-ups didn't like it. So the poor little Puritan girls had to point the finger at somebody else."

Angela held up her own long, tapering, perfectly white tipped finger, trailing it across the seated group like a gun. She stopped in front of Bella. Bella looked at it, then up into Angela's eyes.

"And they did,"

she said pleasantly. She withdrew the finger as if sheathing a sword, and went on.

"They pointed at the West Indian slave, and then at a couple of other old women they didn't like. Women with a bad reputation around the village. And when they pointed, they said..."

She paused for dramatic effect, and tipped her face up to the crescent moon hanging in the sky. Then she looked back at Bella.

"They said... witch."

A ripple went through the group, of agitation, bitter amusement, exasperation. Heads were shaking in disgust. Bella felt the hairs at the back of her neck tingle.

"And do you know what? It worked. Nobody blamed them for their little fortune-telling games. Everyone was too busy hunting out the witches in their midst. The only problem,"

Angela's lips turned into a disgusted thin line. Ariel continued

"was that those Puritans couldn't recognize a witch if they fell over one. They looked for women who were offbeat, or too independent, or... rich. Convicted witches forfeited their worldly goods, so it could be quite a profitable business to accuse them. But all the while the real witches were right there under their noses. Because, you see, there really were witches at Salem. Not the poor women-and men-they accused. They didn't even get one right. But the witches were there, and they didn't like what was happening. It hit a little too close to home. A few of them even tried to stop the witch trials-but that only tended to arouse suspicion. It was too dangerous even to be a friend of one of the prisoners."

She stopped, and there was a silence. The faces surrounding Bella now were not amused, but cold and angry. As if this story was something that resonated in their bones; not a cobwebby tale from the dead past, but a living warning

"What happened?"

Bella asked at last, even though she could see images from her school books in phoenix play in her mind.

"The accused women were killed."

Jerry said quietly.

"One year after the trials ended the real witched fled Salem quietly. So you see, that's how our little town was founded. With just the six members of that coven, and their families. We are what's left of the descendants of those six families. Their only descendants. While the rest of the riffraff you see around the school and the town are the descendants of the servants. The help or of outsiders who drifted in and were allowed to settle here. But those six houses on our street are the houses of the original families. Our families. They intermarried and kept their blood pure-most of them, anyway. And eventually they produced us."

"You have to understand,"

Angela interrupted Ariel

"We may not know exactly what caused the witch hunts but we do know what happened with our own ancestors because we have their journals, their old records, their spell books. Their Books of Shadows."

She turned and picked something up off the sand.

"This was my great-great-grandmother's. She got it from her mother, who got it from her mother, and so on. Each of them wrote in it; they recorded the spells they did, the rituals, the important events in their lives. Each of them passed it on to the next generation."

she handed it off to Bella watching her closely for a reaction as she fingered the worn brown leathered Book.

"We all have talent. We started discovering that when we were really young-babies, practically. Even our parents couldn't ignore it. They did try to keep us from using it for a while, but most of them have given up."

Lucas finished with a small smile.

"That's insane. Salem is in the East. We're at the west, it doesn't make sense"

Bella's logic demanded to be heard. Ariel chuckled and looked at the twins.

"originally Forks wasn't here. It was set in Minnesotta but in our great-grandparents time we were moved here. The small village was taken by a pack of wolves"

"Wolves?"

Bella asked for the first time contemplating the possibility she was dreaming.

"werewolves. our ancestor asked their permission to stay and the village was relocated"

"werewolves"

Bella muttered again chuckling.

"does Santa exist too?"

she asked a little louder than necessary bringing the entire group to a full on belly laugh that chased away the ghosts of the past. but there was an unfinished feeling in the air, as if nobody really wanted to leave yet. Jerry went over behind a rock and pulled out several wet six-packs of diet soft drinks and Ariel promptly went behind another rock and returned with a large thermos.

"It's rose-hip tea,"

she said, pouring a cup of fragrant, dark red liquid and smiling at Bella.

"No tea leaves at all, but it'll warm you up and make you feel better. Roses are soothing and purifying."

"Thanks,"

said Bella, taking it gratefully. She took another gulp of the hot, sweet drink, shivering in spite of herself.

"Here"

Lucas said and placed his dark red leather jacket over her shoulders.

"We're used to the cold; you're not. If you want, we can make a fire."

"No, I'm fine with the jacket. Thank you"

Bella said, tucking her bare feet under her. She looked at the faces around her again and realized she was inside now.

'I'm one of them. A full member of the Clique'

She felt the bubbles of excitement, of exhilaration in her bloodstream again. And there was a deeper feeling, too, of recognition. As if something at her core was nodding, saying Yes, I knew all along.

For the first time in years Angela felt wrong wearing the shift and the jewelry. She looked at the new girl and felt like she now belonged. It was a stupid feeling and she knew it but the presence of Bella made her feel more secure. she watched her smile with Ariel and the moon shone straight into her pendant.

the pendant that had never quite sat right on her. The triple moon phased pendant was meant for their High Priestess. Something she wasn't even though she had tried to be it for their group. She felt good not wearing it.

She looked at Ariel wrapped in her shawl of various blue tones, Luke drinking a root beer and the Capwell twins joking between them.

Her family.

She smiled again and joined them taking a cup of warm tea for herself.

"A lot to deal with at once"

"Yes. But it's exciting, too."

she asked Bella.

"So now that you're a witch, what's the first thing you're going to do?"

Bella laughed, feeling something almost like intoxication. Power, she thought. There's so much Power out there-and now I can take it. She shook her head and lifted the hand that wasn't holding rose-hip tea.

"What can we do?" she said. "I mean, what sorts of things?"

Ariel and Angela exchanged glances.

"You name it. As long as it's doable and you have enough power you can do it"

Ariel said excitedly.

"This is the first Book of Shadows we got hold of,"

Angela said feeling light.

"I found it in my attic, when we were setting up my brothers' nursery. Since then we've found others-every family is supposed to have one. We've been working with mine for almost four or five years, deciphering the spells and copying them out in modern language. I'm even putting it on my computer for easier cross-reference."

"Sort of a Flash Drive of Shadows"

Bella said and Angela grinned.

"I'll show you tomorrow. And it's funny, you know, but once you start learning spells and rituals, it seems to wake up something inside you-and you start coming up with your own."

"Instinct"

Bella said softly

"Yes. we all have it, some more than others. And some of us are better than others at certain things, like calling on the different Powers. I work best with Water"

Ariel passed her fingers in the water of the beach they were.

"The twins work with earth a lot, Luke with fire and I'm good with Air"

Angela finished watching Bella for a reaction. Bella had none though. and then a wet nose the back of Bella's neck. she twirled around to see a huge copper wolf.

What stopped her from screaming was something like heart failure; the shriek got to her throat, and then she actually saw the beast and everything went fuzzy. Her recoiling hand fell limply back. Her lips opened and closed silently. Through a blur and a mist she stared at the liquid brown eyes and the short, silky-bristly hairs on the muzzle. The dog stared back at her, mouth open and laughing, as if to say,

'Aren't you happy to see me?'

"Give her a heart attack, Jake, why don't you?"


	9. Welcome to the nut house

Chapter 9 – Welcome to the nut house

**BPOV**

If I thought waking up the next day as an official witch would make things look different, I'd be totally surprised. I woke up to a sunny day with a slight headache from way too little sleep the night before. I took a nice long shower and went downstairs to see Charlie having breakfast.

He casted one look at me before raising one bushy eyebrow.

"I know you were out pretty late last night. Are you trying to tell me something?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at myself. I had on white jeans and a white top with puffy sleeves. I rolled my eyes at Charlie.

"Only that I look good in white and I'm still a virgin dad"

I said brightly making him chuckle. I poured myself a cup of coffee and grabbed the cereal box on the table. We had a quiet breakfast with both of us eating while Charlie read the newspaper. I had forgotten how quiet he is! Soon he bid me goodbye, I washed the breakfast dishes quickly and left for school ten minutes later smiling as I locked the door behind me. The whole circle was standing in my front porch forming a line.

"We always carpool"

Tom started to say and Jerry finished snapping his fingers in a Z pattern

"we're the 'It' clique for a reason"

I broke in crazy giggles.

"Fine, I'll go with you guys just don't do that again"

Jerry fist pumped the air and the two brothers got in a fight over who would ride with who. I rolled my eyes and looking at Angela I pointed to the baby green Smart she was standing next to. She shook her head smiling and pointed to a dark grey metallic muscle car with Luke behind the wheel.

Without a glance to the brothers we got in the car, Angela in the passenger seat and I was in the back. Luke drove off with the twins sharing a motorcycle following us.

"Are they always like this?"

"yeah"

she and Luke said at the same time laughing.

"you'll get used to them"

"where's Ariel?"

I asked just as we parked in the parking lot.

"she had swimming practice so she got here early"

Angela replied and got out of the car. Lucas threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it before picking it up and threw it away. I followed suit and as soon as the twins arrived we entered the school. Throughout every class people stared. And stared. And stared.

We all sat together at what was known as the 'It' table and I could practically hear the gossip as it flew around.

"Ignore them"

Luke said and began drumming his guitar for a few moments before settling for an enchanting melody I had never heard before. Like the previous day Tom and Jerry started a mini food fight, Angela, Ariel and I struck up a conversation with no real subject. Mostly shop talk to pass the time. I never quite had any friends in phoenix and it was nice to be accepted, powers aside, in a group like this. After lunch was all over the floor and the twins were given the evil eye by the lunch ladies we separated to go to our classes. I was about to enter biology when a freezing cold hand grabbed me and spun me around.

"You're gonna pay for it"

a low icy voice breathed in a perfect soprano pitch. It belonged to the statuesque blond on the dead people's table. To be honest, she scares me a lot and I was unable to answer. I felt my eyes widen as I stammered

"what do you mean?"

She rolled her deep golden eyes and replied in the same tone

"Because of you my brother had to leave. I'm going to get you for it"

I found myself nodding scared when a voice rose from my throat startling us both.

"Your brother got what he deserved. You're lucky you haven't been kicked away already"

I imagined my hands being coated in fire and she must have felt it too because she gasped and pulled her hand away from mine a scared look crossing her face.

"You're going to make me pay huh? Bring it on bitch"

the same cold voice replied. The blond girl glared at me but then turned around and left. I brought my hand to my throat almost expecting to find strings guiding me like a puppet but I found nothing. Only the triple moon pendant Angela had given me the day before.

Who spoke?

I tried to concentrate in class but it was impossible. I felt Angela's eyes on me more than once but I refused to look at her. I've always made sense of things on my own and this sudden closeness felt strange. Welcome but strange. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts.

Gym passed quickly as the coach had not in fact allowed me to sit out for minimal grade. When I made a joke about having an E.R. ambulance outside the gym, just in case, he laughed and told me there's no way I'd be that bad. We played volleyball and I swear some sort of evil being took over the ball as it kept bouncing on the walls (and once on a belong guy's head). Coach's eyes widened at that and decided to let me decide how much I'd participate as long as I didn't' interrupt the class. I smiled gratefully and headed to one of the mats on the other side of the gym and took an extra volleyball. I spent the rest of the class trying to bounce the ball at the same spot on the wall.

Have you seen Titanic the scene where Rose tries to hit with an axe the chain that holds Leo's hands attached to the wall and the two hits couldn't be further away? Mine could...

After gym I changed back into my clothes and walked outside. the rest of the circle were there leaning against the grey car talking and Luke was smoking. Nearby was a red convertible with Rosalie behind the wheel and all four passengers glaring at me.

So much for hoping to blend in...

"Hey guys"

"You ok?"

Ariel looked at me and I shook my head.

"Had a run-in with Blond"

I motioned my head towards the convertible that was still parked at the lot.

"What did she do?"

The twins asked at the same time standing straighter. From the corner of my eye I saw the well built one that sat next to Rosalie sit up looking ready for a fight. I don't know if a witch can take him on but I do not want to find out either.

"Nothing"

I hastened to stop the twins

"just threw some empty threats. What shocked me was my response. It felt like someone else spoke through me"

All five of them looked at each other.

"Guess that makes it official"

Lucas whistled. I raised an eyebrow

"Official?"

"I'm not the leader. If you used our collective strength to tell off the undead it means that you're our HP, not me"

"HP?"

Ariel leaned in and whispered

"High Priestess. Our female leader. Lucas is our male leader"

I felt my eyes widen. I chose some sarcasm to cover my sudden apprehensiveness

"If you tell me next that you and I are supposed to have sex during every ceremony, I'm outta here"

"Only if you want to"

he joked back with a wink. Angela rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile on her lips.

"Welcome to the nut house"


	10. Q's and A's

Chapter 9 – Questions and Answers

"I have a question. I was supposed to move here next week, why were you all in such a hurry for me to join in last night?"

I asked Angela later when we were both laying in her bed with books littering it. We had gone to her house after school to show me the ropes on the circle and to actually study.

"The initiation rituals can only be done on full moons"

"Because the moon is bigger?"

"Exactly. We were all ok with waiting this month to pass and to actually get to know you before we open the closet but what happened with Edward forced us to speed it up"

I nodded thoughtfully

"Where is he? Rosalie said he was forced to leave"

It was Angela's turn to nod

"Remember the huge wolf from last night?"

I nodded again popping a mini pretzel in my mouth.

"His name is Jake and he's a werewolf, well, shape shifter. The point is that the Cullens are vampires and they have a treaty with them. To not bite anyone or a war is going to happen."

I looked at her. Just looked at her unblinking

"Kind of a lot to take in, I know but it's all true. According to Jake the wolves went to the vampires, all ready for a fight but Dr. Cullen - head of the clan - chose to kick out Edward instead of fighting the wolves. They're not happy but since Edward was the one to attack you and it was obvious the rest of the coven was clueless they agreed"

"Witches are real. Werewolves are real. Vampires are real. Okay, what next?"

Angela's dark brown eyes widened.

"That's it? no explosion or shouting?"

I nodded popping another pretzel in my mouth.

"hey, if I'm a witch it's sort of ironic to knock down vampires and werewolves as fakes, isn't it?"

she shook her head amused.

"by the way you should start eating healthier if you want your body being strong enough"

I pouted

"it's one pretzel"

"yeah one bag of them"

she deadpanned before laughing with me. a loud stomping had us both jumping up from the bed just as her pale white door was pushed open and two small blond kids ran inside, jumped on the bed and began hugging Angela while grabbing fistfuls of pretzels

"Pretzels!"

I smiled at the scene

"Nice to see I'm loved guys"

She said laughing and a man appeared at the door. he seemed to be the same as Charlie, with light brown hair and uncomfortable at standing inside a girls room.

"They ran from me"

"Don't they always? Dad this is Bella, she just moved here. Bella this is my dad"

He turned to face me and smiled politely extending his hand

"Nice to meet you sir"

"You're Charlie's kid. I've heard of you. Welcome to Forks"

"Hasn't everyone?"

I muttered before smiling politely back. He left then to work on his sermon for church dumping the boys with us

"I'm Mike and he's Junior. Call us MJ"

One of the identical boys said while the other hid behind Angela.

"Nice to meet you MJ. I'm Bella"

"Guys why don't you start on your homework and I'll be there in a minute?"

Both boys looked forlom but did what she asked and left the room

"MJ?"

"yeah, my mom used to call them that. It was easier than calling out both their names"

she said with a nostalgic tone in her voice

"your mom, is she.."

"she died three years ago. All of our parents did"

"what do you mean?"

she dropped heavily on her bed again, took a photo from her nightstand and handed it over.

"my mom, Tom and Jerry's mom, Luke's dad and Ariel's dad were on a fourth of July picnic at the pier in la push three years ago. it collapsed killing them all instantly. The rest of the parents along with the kids were at various activities at the beach. By the time they ran to the pier it was too late"

She said with a few tears escaping her eyes. I felt compelled to hug her close and be thankful that even though Renée and Charlie are divorced they're both very much alive

"it was the week we found out we were all witches. i can't help but think that if we had found out just a week earlier we could have done something to help"

I patted her back as she wept offering all the comfort I could

"you know it wouldn't have helped. it was just their time to go"

I felt her nod at my shoulder. she cried for a few more minutes before composing herself and sitting up again.

"thank you for letting me cry on you"

she hiccupped

"that's what friends are for. my shoulder is available at all times"

I said in a light tone, hoping it would make her smile. she did and I stood up to leave. I had to cook for Charlie after all.

"take this. it's the legends of the wolves and the vampires along with out story. it will help you see what's going on"

she handed me a large book with a dark blue velvet cover. I smiled and put it in my book bag before hugging her again and after bidding goodbye her brothers and father I left.

As promised I cooked Charlie dinner. I was feeling adventurous so I made Hawaiian kebabs with chicken, meat and some chopped trout. As a cop, even in a small town like forks, Charlie was brave enough to try it and took a tentative bite. Then he polished his plate like a starved man and handed it back with a Prince-as-Garfielf-trying-lasagna-for-the-first-time smile asking for seconds. During dinner we spoke about his day, my day and even sat through an old rerun of Baywatch nights after dinner.

Why was I feeling so apprehensive about the move?


	11. James

Chapter 11 - James

Standing in front of my closet the next day I couldn't help but ponder the significance of colors.

Luke always wore his dark red leather jacket over a t-shirt that was either white or black. Angela always wore modest white tops with puffy sleeves, the twins were always dressed in shades of green and Ariel was always in blue. As for me I always wore jeans and a tank top in an earthy color. Until I moved here and found myself in dressier and a tad sexier tops of all colors. For example, that day I had a dark red leotard-like top and a white cargo short skirt.

However I regretted the skirt as Jessica pounced on me as soon as I got out of my car.

"Who are you going with?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The dance silly. Who are you going with?"

"I don't do dances Jess. Sorry"

she huffed, turned around and stalked away. I pushed from my car and dusted my butt making a mental note to wash the Mini later. Behind me I heard Ariel giggle as she exited the car looking as an extension of it with her blue blouse.

"Is she always like that?"

"You mean an airhead?"

I shrugged one shoulder not liking the term. Ariel smiled and rounding the car she looped her arm through mine and we headed inside.

"nah. She was much more normal growing up but when we found out what we are we sort of closed together. she decided to be friends with Lauren"

I nodded.

"are you going to that dance?"

"we always go together. Angie and I with Tom and Jer and Luke stag. You can go with him"

she smiled brightly and I pulled gently one of her pink strands

"I don't do dances"

"We'll see about that"

she said playfully, I shook my head and we went on with our day. All that could be heard throughout all classes was the giggling of the girls that had been asked to the dance at a slight higher pitch than the upset growls of the girls that had not been asked. The good part of being a part of the clique? A glare from Luke stopped every single boy at the school from asking any of the girls to the dance. Well... except Mike and Tyler but some things are necessary evils.

After school we headed together for the beach. Ariel wanted to practice some more her swimming, tom and jerry had basket tryouts coming soon and wanted to play, Luke brought his guitar with him and Angela began running up and down the shore.

"I need a hobby"

I muttered and sat down on the cool sand. Luke heard me and chuckled.

"You'll figure it out"

I rolled my eyes and laid back on the sand. My only hobby growing up was reading and I've already read all the books I brought with me. Twice.

"Remind me to hit a bookstore this weekend"

I said to no one in particular pulling Angela's book of shadows from her backpack, hoping she won't mind, and going through it. Lucas lit another cigarette.

"You smoke?"

"Nope"

I shook my head. I went back to reading the Book but I couldn't help recognizing things. Like a stupid little spell I had heard more than once used by mom when her hands were too full to open a door or grams when her plants would get sick. I had to ask them but how? It's not like I can call grams at her grave (I hope) or mom at her honeymoon to ask if they're witches.

"I'm so tired"

Jerry moaned before hitting the sand next to me.

"You played for fifteen minutes!"

I said without raising my eyes from the Book.

"Ignore them. They like to moan about it but they're the stars of the team"

Luke said playing song after song. I smiled at their antics and handed a bottle of water from my bag to jerry. Soon Angela joined us holding a paper bag with doughnuts.

"Where did you get that?"

Tom asked diving in sinking his teeth in sugarcoated goodness.

"I ran far"

she shrugged and took the water from jerry. Smelling sugar even Luke stopped playing and grabbed one. That had sprinkles on.

"um... where's Ariel guys?"

Angela asked seeing as I were the only other girl. The boys dropped their doughnuts standing up. There was no one in the sea anymore.

"Ariel!"

We all began to call out her name. Tom jumped in the water in an attempt to see if she was underwater. Luke grabbed his phone and called Ariel but her phone was in my bag where she left it earlier.

"AHHHHHH!"

A loud scream broke the dead feeling around us.

"Ariel"

Angela whispered and we took off running towards the pier with jerry swimming to it. There was some sort of a fight going on in one of the boats. An older man was trying to fight off three people.

"Hey!"

Tom shouted drawing everyone's attention to us.

"Sorry, this one's taken"

a woman with cat-like face and a long mane of bright red hair said in a beautiful voice and bared her teeth at the elderly man who crowned behind the wheel. Angela looked at the darkening sky and said in a clear voice

_"Clouds part, _

_give me light"_

Ridiculous but it worked. The heavy clouds parted and the sun shone brightly like a spotlight to the boat at the marina. The skin off the three assailants shone like diamonds.

Oh no! Vampires!

Ariel took advantage of the distraction and climbed atop the boat. She grabbed the elderly man and pretty much threw him at the sea. Jerry joined her on the boat.

_"From air to fire"_

Luke said loudly before he began chanting

"We need better spells. That's ridiculous"

"Tell me about it"

I muttered and Angela snickered. However we followed his lead and we all began chanting and moments later flames appeared in the middle of the boat.

_"Ignes dissipare et vallum"_

I began chanting drawing the small medallion from my pocket and pointed it towards the vampires. the fire in front of us broke to three and headed for the three vampires. They engulfed them and burned them down to ashes as I kept chanting.

_"No air for fire"_

I heard the others chant as the fire died. no damage had happened on the boat. I blinked a few times my vision clearing and the deep voice inside me died as well.

I felt dizzy and let tom help me lean against a pole. Ariel and Jerry helped the owner of the boat come up again.

"You okay?"

Luke asked me and I nodded touching the medallion gently before putting back to my pocket. Luke handed me a lit cigarette and with a wan smile I began smoking, the tension leaving me with every puff of smoke I blew. Angela threw her arm over my shoulders

"And that is why we always go to dances. They take our minds off of stuff like that"


	12. Whyohwhy

Chapter 12 – Why do guys get ready for an outing by simply changing their shirts but girls need to go through hours of getting ready? This is why

"You're evil"

I threw a tantrum in Ariel's house. She shushed me and all but tossed me in the bathtub. The majority had outvoted me to go to the damned dance.

A full week had passed since we burned those vampires and the owner of the boat, John Waylon who liked to play Santa for the kids every year and was very sad that I didn't remember him - even though I hadn't had Christmas here since I was four, had agreed to keep quiet about us and the vampires. After all its common knowledge he likes his booze after noon and who would believe him?

Vampires don't exist, right? However I made a mental note as I shampooed my hair with a homemade shampoo that smelled, and felt, like the ocean to talk to Jake about it. It wasn't the first vampire attack and weren't the wolves supposed to keep an eye out for vampires in Forks?

Ariel's room was painted in all the colors of the sea: sand, shell, pearl, and periwinkle. The headboard on her queen sized bed was shaped like a giant white scalloped shell. It was beautiful even if it made me want to look for Spongebob and Patrick the star.

Childishly I smelled my hair that smelled like lavender and chamomile before Ariel's mom, a plump woman with a happy smile stretched on her lips and pencils holding her blond hair in a messy do, handed us all warm tea.

"Thank you mrs Scott"

I said taking one cup of the jasmine soothing tea

"mrs Scott was my mother-in-law. Call me Penelope"

She said in a happy voice and left the room. Angela handed me a warm, damp washcloth.

"It's 'a fragrant resin redolent with the mysterious virtues of tropical balms, It renders the complexion clear and brilliant. So hold this on your face while I do your hair."

she read out loud from Ariel's Book of Shadows that was appropriately dressed in dark blue velvet. I complied because A- the washcloth smelled amazing and B- Angela's face covered in thick dark green paste looked scary, like the Wicked Witch of the West.

"I'm making it soft and natural, waving back from your face. I'll just play with your curls abit"

Ariel said in a soothing tone and I squeezed her hand lightly. While she worked, I could almost hear Angela cry out as she plucked her eyebrows.

"Now, let's get you into the dress, No, don't look, not yet. Come over to the vanity and Mom will do your makeup."

With my face still covered I tried as Penelope Scott whipped a warm towel around my neck.

"That's all right. 1 can do it "

"No, you want me to do it honey, I promise you'll love it"

"But 1 don't wear much makeup-I won't look like me ..."

"Yes, you will. You'll look more like you."

Penelope said in a calming tone that won me over. While she worked she shared stories over a woman that came to her salon, she was a beautician, and couldn't decide on having the eyebrows waxed or plucked and decided to do both. According to Penelope, the poor boy that was put to that fate probably still cried.

I sat on the low stool, facing her. She took the washcloth off and gently applied a cream to my skin. The next half hour was filled with bewildering instructions.

"Look up,"

She commanded, wielding a brown eyeliner pencil.

"Look down. See, this will give you doe eyes and nobody will even be able to tell you're wearing anything. Now a little almond shadow . . ."

She dipped a small brush in powder and blew off the excess.

"Now just a little midnight blue in the crease to make you look mysterious . . ."

With my eyes shut, I let myself relax. This was fun and it was something I had missed. Mom, grandma and I used to have pampering nights once a week before she would go out on a date. I miss my mom. I was brought to the present again when Ariel said

"I'll take care of your nails."

"What are you using?"

"Witch-hazel infusion, Chanel Flamme Rose polish with a tad of white for a cute French,"

Ariel replied and all girls (including Penelope) giggled at the pun

"Don't jolt my hand,"

Penelope ordered

"Now suck in your cheeks like a fish. Stop laughing. You've got great cheekbones; I'm just going to bring them out a little. Now go like this; I'm going to put Roseglow on your lips."

When at last she sat back to survey her work, Ariel and Angela gathered around us.

"And finally,"

Angela said

"Just a drop of magnet perfume here, and here, and here."

She touched the hollow of my throat, my earlobes and wrists with something that smelled wild and exotic and wonderful.

"What is it?"

"Mignonette, tuberose, and ylang-ylang. It makes you irresistible. And I should know."

Ariel said with a lopsided grin on her face. her shimmering light blue dress made her look like a mermaid. Wild and exotic.

Angela was wearing a reddish-orange one-shoulder dress in the shade of the setting sun. Her glasses were gone making look so much younger and free.

Penelope loosened the towel around my neck and turned me to the mirror. For the second time in my life I was speechless.

The lovely stranger reflected in the full body mirror was... beautiful. She had fine, deep red hair waving softly back from her face. The light brown highlights shimmered when I moved my head, so the girl in the mirror had to be me - but it couldn't be. My eyes didn't have that dreamy, mysterious aura. My skin didn't have that dewy glow, and I didn't blush that way, to bring out her cheekbones. Sure I blush a lot but usually its like someone has tossed tomato sauce in my face. And lastly, my lips definitely didn't have that breathless ready-to-be-kissed look.

"It's the lipstick, don't smudge it"

Penelope explained looking ready to laugh.

"It's possible, that you've gone too far mom"

Ariel said in the same tone and I blinked.

"Do you like the dress? It's the perfect length, just short enough, but still romantic."

Angela asked with knowing eyes.

The girl in the mirror, the one with the delicate bones and the swan's neck, turned from side to side. The dress was white-ish both silvery and shimmering, like yards of starlight. It reached right beneath my knees and slightly flairy. It made me feel like a princess going to the ball. Angela's shoes, appropriately, looked like glass slippers even though they were silver and peep toed. Even though they were high with stiletto heels they felt oddly comfortable.

"Oh, thank you! I finally look like a witch!"

I exclaimed. They burst into laughter, even though Penelope shook her head glancing at the ceiling. Impulsively I hugged them all in a group hug.

"I'll show you how to do it yourself if you want."

Penelope said opting to ignore the 'witch' comment thankfully. I put my pendant back on and perched on the edge of the bed watching Angela and Ariel put the final touches in their makeup. The doorbell rang as they both tensed. Ariel gave me a 'come here' look and we peeked from her door to the front entrance. Luke, Tom and Jerry stood at the door looking like they stepped out of teen vogue.

Tom was dressed in a dark blue tux with a shirt in a lighter shade of blue and a tie in the same shade as Ariel's dress. Jerry wore a white tux with a green shirt, again in the shade of Angela's dress and no tie. Luke wore a black suit pants and a shirt with thin vertical lines in silver. Instead of a tux jacket he had on a black leather jacket, his dark caramel hair brushing the neck of his shirt.

Penelope handed them something I didn't see and said loudly enough to be heard clearly.

"Please use them. I love you kids but I'm too young to become a grandma"

I felt my eyes widen as Ariel and Angela giggled. I pursed my lips.

"you know, we should get ready at my house next time. That way the chief will welcome them"


	13. Homecoming

Chapter 13 - Homecoming

We took three different cars and drove to the school separately for once.

Ariel and Tom were in my metallic blue Mini, Angela and Jerry were in her forest green Smart and Luke and I were in his dark silver convertible. I couldn't help but notice how the color scheme of the night ad seeped tot he cars as well.

The night seemed clear and cool and filled with magic, and the gym was transformed. It was so big that it seemed part of the night, and the twinkling lights woven around the pipes and girders overhead were like stars. The floor was covered with large black and white balloons reflecting the soft lights. On a podium was the DJ and along a wall had been placed a bar with a real, according to Tom, bartender who had been serving sodas only. Nearby was a large bowl filled with fruit punch.

At the gym gate was a large arch with white balloons with a photographer. Luke and I stood for the customary photo at the entrance and I looked around for any other members of the Circle. I didn't see any as they were standing after us in line. What she saw were 'outsiders' looking in surprise at me and Luke. In the boys' eyes there was something more than surprise, something I wasn't at all used to.

It was the kind of openmouthed stare guys turned on girls in my old school or even the vampires here. A look of awe. A sudden warmth and a glow that had nothing to do with Penelope's artistry swept over me. I knew I was blushing. I felt conspicuous and overwhelmed-and at the same time thrilled and excited. But through the wild mixture of emotions, one thing remained clear and diamond-bright within me. I wasn't the Old Bella anymore. And the New Bella should get used to the stares. But New or Old, I couldn't just stand here with everyone staring at me any longer; it was too embarrassing.

Almost reading my emotions, Luke gave me a crooked smile and said,

"Want to dance?"

Relieved, I nodded, and we went out onto the dance floor. In a matter of seconds we were surrounded by other people like they expected our permission to dance. And then the music started soft and sweet. I stared at Luke and he stared back at me.

"I promise I'll try to not step on your toes"

I whispered and he threw his head back in laughter.

"Loafers. Too hard and I won't feel a thing if you do"

he whispered back and took me in his arms. I had only danced slowly in mom's wedding with Phil and even though Phil is closer to my age than mom's, it had felt like I was dancing with my dad. This time, I was trembling and not knowing what to do I closed my eyes letting Lucas lead us. He pulled me close and wrapped both his arms around my waist. My hands went around his neck. He laid his cheek against my hair. I put my head on his shoulder, like the song goes.

I tried not to, but I couldn't help feeling. It was dark as twilight and Lucas was gently moving us and I could smell his scent of autumn leaves and ocean wind. 'Dancing is a very witchy thing' Angela had said when she tried to persuade me to come and she had been right.

"What is going on with us?"

The words flew out of my mouth before my mind had time to filter them. I felt Lucas' chest rumble with silent laughter.

"Ask me tomorrow"

he replied as the music stopped. He moved back just slightly and I looked up at him, cheek and neck tingling with the loss of his warmth. His eyes were strange, soft brown edging with silver like a new moon. Slowly, he bent down so that his lips were barely touching mine and stayed there for the softest of kisses. They stood that way for what seemed like an eternity and then I turned my head away feeling the pressure built up in me.

My knees were shaking.

'Find some people to join fast' I thought. I looked around desperately and to my relief she glimpsed a sleek soft brown head with pink streaks and a bun of perfectly curled black hair twisted in an undo. It was Ariel and Angela, in animated conversation with two boys I didn't recognize.

I headed to them trying not to look at Luke behind me. Ariel smiled as she saw us and Angela's eyes were soft.

"Oh, there you are!"

Ariel monopolized the conversation talking about dresses while the outsider boys roped Luke into a conversation about sports. The lightheartedness, inspired by the magic of the dance, began to return. My eyes traveled across the room to finally settle on the resident vampires. Both couples were dancing flawlessly without stopping. I had to admire them and applaud their courage. It can't be easy to be in the same room with at least three hundred students and keep their calm to not bite anyone.

A little further away stood the headmaster wrapped in a conversation with Ariel's mom whose light purple dress made her look radiant and younger than her mid-thirties age. Did all our parents have us right after school? If so, her not-so-gentle-reminder about condoms had a point.

I saw Jessica and Lauren both eyeing Mike Newton. Jessica had on a hot pink colored dress, sexy as hell, cut in her usual knockout style. Her hair hanging untamed down her back. Lauren had a bright blue dress on with her blond curls stuck like a helmet thanks to hairspray. Mike was standing between them looking like a child stuck in the middle of a custody battle.

Jessica was glaring at Lauren who tried to look taller - and failed miserably. They reminded me of dogs, a big glossy black dog and a little rust-colored terrier fighting over a tall, slim bone.

Ariel snorted.

"That's stupid, Lauren and Jessica are best friends but they end up fighting over one guy that neither really wants"

"Well, it's not our problem,"

Angela said sensibly and turned to the outsider boy beside her and smiled and together they headed for the dance floor. Ariel shrugged and asked Tom to dance. He happily obliged and they followed Angela. Luke had joined Jerry in another talk about basket and I decided to keep watching the show Jess, Lauren and Mike provided for us all. Jessica was smiling a lazy, dangerous smile at him, and Lauren was bristling and looking daggers. The three of them were standing in a perfect triangle, nobody moving. I wondered how Mike was going to get out of it when he looked up in my direction. I sent him a sympathetic smile slightly wondering if there's any popcorn around.

His reaction was startling. His eyes widened. He blinked. He stared at me as if he had never seen a girl before. Then he stepped away from Jessica and Lauren as if he'd forgotten their existence and walked purposely to me. He was holding out his hand to me. I took it and let him lead me onto the dance floor. It was another slow dance. I held herself at a decent distance from him, staring uncertainly over his shoulder at the bleachers. When I finally looked at his face, all awkwardness vanished. That smile was not only blinding but openly admiring.

When we first met he was trying to impress me, I realized dizzily. Now he's impressed. I could see the appreciation in his eyes, feel it in the way he held me.

"We make a good couple,"

He said and I laughed. Trust Mike Newton to compliment himself in complimenting me

"Thank you. I hope Jessica isn't mad."

"It's not Jess I'm worried about. It's her."

"Lauren?"

He nodded for a moment before staring in my eyes. I wished I had some advice for him. But I have zero experiences on love triangles besides what I've seen on Beverly Hills and Vampire Diaries. I looked around the dance floor and saw Ariel who was now dancing with Tom and Jerry had Angela in his arms. And then it was over. The music stopped. I looked up at Mike

"Good luck with the girls"

He flashed the smile again.

"I can handle it,"

he said confidently.

"Don't you want to dance again? No? Are you sure?"

"Thanks, but I'd better get back,"

I murmured, worried about the way he was looking at me. I managed to escape his restraining hand and started toward the sidelines, but before I could get there another boy asked me to dance. I couldn't see Luke anywhere. Maybe he was off enjoying himself. I hoped so. I said "yes" to the boy. It didn't stop with him. All sorts of guys, seniors and juniors, athletes and class officers, were coming up to me. I saw boys' eyes wander from their own dates to look at me as I danced.

I didn't know dances were like this. I didn't know anything was like this. For the moment I was entirely swept up in the magic of the night, and I pushed all troublesome reflection away. I let the music take me and let myself just be for a while.

Then she saw Edward's face on the sidelines.

His siblings weren't with him and the look in his eyes was the same as the night he attacked me. Pure hunger.

When that dance was over, I evaded the next boy who tried to intercept her, and headed for Angela who greeted me with glee and handed me a plastic cup with punch

"You're the belle of the ball,"

She said excitedly, tucking her arm through mine friendly

"Must be the name"

I joked but she was ready to diss

"Jessica is furious. Lauren is furious. Everybody's furious."

"It's the magnet perfume. I think I used too much."

"Don't be silly. It's not the perfume, it's you. You're finally yourself"

She smiled friendly and I hugged her. I didn't want to be the belle of the ball; I didn't want every girl here to be furious with me. I was ready to go home.

Headmaster Capwell rounded us.

"Are you having a good time girls?"

looking at each other we nodded.

"I hope you haven't been drinking that punch, it was spiked"

he said in a sour tone and left us. I turned to a smirking Ariel.

"Who spiked it?"

"The twins"

She said laughing. I shook my head laughing before downing my drink. It's one glass! After a faster dance we all danced together we were paired off again and slowly drove home. Luke drove up his porch and walked me to the door.

"I had a good time tonight"

I said softly

"Me too. I'm sorry about the kiss, I didn't mean to push you"

"you didn't Luke. it's ok"

Impulsively I stretched on my toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek

"Goodnight"

A set of lights blinded us and dad's cruiser pulled in our driveway.

"goodnight chief"

"Lucas"

Charlie said gruffly before joining me as I unlocked the door

"did you have a good time kiddo?"

"yep. goodnight dad"

"night bells"

I all but skipped to my room and fired up my laptop. I opened a new mail for Renée

"Mom, I have so much to tell you..."


	14. Dark Medallion

Chapter 14 – Dark medallion

Next day I slept in and then decided to make a big breakfast to spend quality time with Charlie. I pulled all the stops making pancakes both plain with honey and with fresh fruit for me, eggs, bacon and coffee.

"Morning bells"

"Good morning dad"

He sat at the table facing me

"You were up late last night"

"Yeah, I mailed mom and she called me. We hadn't spoken since I moved here and I kind of missed her"

I tried not to sound bitter at the fact that I hadn't spoken to Renée in almost a month but I'm not sure it worked. Charlie shrugged uncomfortably and poured himself a second cup of coffee.

"Do you have any plans for the day?"

"None at all"

I shrugged.

"It's a beautiful day, why don't you catch a movie with your friends?"

I chanced a look out of the large kitchen windows. It was slightly drizzling.

"Yeah, beautiful alright"

I muttered.

"What are you doing today?"

"I'll go fishing with the guys from the rez. did you want to join?"

he asked with his eyebrows risen all the way to his hairline ironically. its no secret that fishing and me are like oil and water, we don't go together.

I stuck my tongue out childishly and running to the front door I pulled his medallion from my coat pocket and handed it back to him.

"Where did you get that?"

he snatched it away angrily

"your fishing gear. It fell out of it when you put it in my car the other day. What is it?"

"did you use it?"

he answered my question with another question.

"what is it Charlie?"

I copied him. he took another sip of his coffee

"it's a medallion to channel power. Dark power bells"

"What's dark power?"

"Magic fueled by dark reasons"

he said calmly. too calmly

"you know about... magic?"

he chuckled nodding

"you had to inherited it from someone bells"

"You're a wizard too?"

"yeah"

I filed that away for future use and bit my lip. Should I tell him I used it already and liked it?

"I used it once. There was this... voice inside me guiding me to do it"

he sighed heavily

"It belonged to my ancestors. I haven't used it in years and I really don't want you to use it. keep that medallion Bells but don't use it again. it may attract the wrong people"

He slid it through a thin leather black string he took from one of the kitchen drawers and gave it back to me. I put it on and left it long so it rested right between my breasts. The medallion wasn't very large in size, rather a bit bigger than a pocket watch but it was definitely visible. On it was a symbol of a triangle within a circle and something looking like a cross over it.

It was certainly unique.

After breakfast Charlie left to go fishing taking our dog with him and I washed the dishes before putting on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a pair of kitten heeled boots and a white blouse. Standing up from my bed after I put my boots on I noticed one of the tiles in the small fireplace in my room was facing the wrong way. It's twin had a flower pattern looking up while this one had it facing down.

I bit my lip and taking a letter opener from my desk I yanked it off. It slid off quite easily actually. I stuck my hand inside the secret room behind it and my fingers touched a small book and a rock. I pulled them out and sat on my bed to examine them. The rock was in a clear color and rather big, only a tad smaller than my fist. the book was wrapped in a white silky fabric and had a sugary white leather cover. on it was a symbol of three moons. two crescent ones and a full one holding them together, like my pendant. Below it, mom's last name was scripted in a dark gold letters

"My Book of Shadows"

I chuckled and stuffed it in my bag along with the crystal. I grabbed the bag, locked the door behind me and ran to Luke's house through the yard that connected our houses knocking his door. A woman around dad's age (for the life of mine I haven't seen older people except Waylon around here) opened the door. her long straight hair fell down on her back and she was in the process of putting on a pair of earrings.

"hi"

"hi, is Luke here?"

"his room, last floor"

she said and rushed out the door and to a car and drove off. I let myself inside and closed the door behind me; the inside of the house was painted in warm earthy colors. the stairs were located right next to the kitchen and tentatively I went up to the last floor which was a euphemism for the attic. in the middle of the large light red room was a bed on which a person was groaning and moaning and sleeping.

I checked my watch awkwardly. I bit my lip and went to the windows and pulled the curtains open but the sunlight was weak and only filtered into the room gently. Then, on a whim, I grabbed my keys from my bag and gently keyed his feet as they hanged off the bed. he began giggling and holding my laughter back I kept at it until Lucas began screaming and jumped from the bed.

"Hello Kitty"

I said amused at his bright pink, hello kitty boxers. Luke's eyes widened seeing me, sitting at the edge of his bed, batting my eyelashes innocently.

"how did you get in here?"

"your mom, I think, let me in. Are you.. gonna cover up? Looking at your eyes isn't really my top priority right now"

I said chuckling, looking penitently at the small white kitty head on his boxer leg. he blushed and grabbed a pair of dark red pajama bottoms to put on. I pouted extravagantly as he sat down on his bed rubbing his eyes

"hello kitty?"

"my mom went crazy during shopping"

I raised an eyebrow

"your mom buys your underwear?"

"no one was supposed to see it!"

he exclaimed and I couldn't help but laughing again. he looked at me exasperated

"why are you here again?"

"Charlie went fishing, I found my Book and I was bored. You broke me guys, normally I'd crave an opportunity to be alone but I now I can't stand it!"

he chuckled again.

"You found your Book? That's great what does it have?"

I shrugged

"Didn't open it. Wanna do it together?"

"Maybe later, with the rest of the guys. I found mine too the other day so maybe we should have a meeting and go through them together"

I nodded

"sounds good to me, did you have any plans for the day and I screwed them up?"

"to sleep the day away"

he deadpanned.

"oops?"

he rolled his eyes.

"Want to catch a movie later, perhaps?"

he trailed nervously. I nodded

"Sure. Meet you in an hour? Give you a chance to take a shower too?"

I said smirking and it worked. The awkward silence that felt heavy was gone and so was the pink elephant.

True to his word Luke was on my front steps one hour later his hair slightly damp from the shower. he had a pair of dark jeans on, biker boots, a very fitting red tee under his usual leather jacket. Seeing a motorbike behind him I let Renee on the phone push me into wearing dressier clothes than the jeans I had in I'm not sure how a short dress is gonna go on a bike

"You took..."

I looked at the cat sticker at the black motorcycle.

"Tom's bike?"

"he owed me one"

I climbed on behind him and as we passed the houses on our street there was not a single curtain that remained unmoved.


	15. Bowling and a movie

Chapter 15 – Bowling and a movie

I had never been on a motorcycle before. It seemed bigger when I tried to

get on it than it had looked just standing there. Luke chuckled and took my hand placing it on his shoulder so I could lean on him and I was on it felt surprisingly stable.

"Hang on to me"

Luke said, guiding my hands around his waist and with an incredibly loud noise, we were moving.

It was the most exhilarating feeling-flying through the air. Like witches on broomsticks. Wind roared in my face, whipped my hair back. Every time Luke accelerated, the ride was terrifying. The wind felt icy cold.

Luke had chose to ride the smaller rural roads instead on the nice, clear highways and we were racing forward into darkness, far too fast for safety. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. Everything was the wind and the road and the feeling of speed.

I loved it!

Entering Port Angeles Lucas drove us to a pretty large for a small town mall with an outdoors cafe on the ground floor, clothing shops on the first floor, arcade games on the second floor and a cinema on the last floor. He parked at the lot and we headed straight for the games floor.

"Foosball or bowling?"

"Bowling"

I replied at once. I may be unable to walk a straight line sober but I always loved bowling. I'm even good at it!

"You grab us a line and shoes and I'll get us sodas"

"Beer"

"Soda"

"Beer"

"Soda"

I stuck my tongue out winning at the stupid 'what to drink' war and turned around to head to the bar. I ordered a sprite and a cola and taking a tray with them, I went to find him by the bowling lines.

"here"

I handed him his sprite and he handed me a pair of ugly bright pink, bright blue and black shoes. I kicked off my heels and slipped the bowling shoes on while he put our names on. I was first. I took a light blue bowl, a deep breath, swung my arm back and forth and gently let the ball slide down the lane. I hit ten out of twelve pins. Luke whistled.

"You're good!"

"I love to play. It's the one game that you can't hurt anyone but yourself"

"Don't tell the others but once I got my fingers stuck in a too-small ball and ended up sliding with it down the lane"

He said, his ears turning pink. I tried to keep a calm face but lost the battle breaking in loud laughter.

"Your secret's safe with me"

I motioned him to go forwards and he hit a strike. I can't whistle. I clapped instead.

We played for two hours and five rounds. He beat me on three as I may have managed to throw my last ball over the side of our lane, onto the one next to it, hit another ball and hit a strike. On the wrong lane.

"I can't believe you did that!"

"It was a strike!"

"On the wrong lane!"

"Still a strike! Strike, strike strike strike"

I stomped my three inch stiletto heeled foot down a few times. Luke raised his eyebrows, a minute passed and he fell to his knees laughing. His reaction caused to laugh along.

"You get really passionate, don't you?"

"I like to bowl. We should bring the whole circle some time"

"Can't! The twins were kicked out"

"Why, what did they do?"

"Nothing really. Just made the balls float freaking everyone out"

I chuckled. I can see them doing that.

After eating a serving of nachos laughing we made our way to the movie theater where Luke got the tickets and I got the popcorn and sodas. we decided on 'Abduction' as "Mirror, mirror" would be too much of a date. We laughed at the bad acting, cringed at the lead girl's eyebrows and frowned at the romance.

"doesn't he remind you of Jake?"

he asked me midway the movie when Nathan and Karen were trekking through the woods. I shrugged

"haven't seen Jake dressed enough times to notice. I definitely do see why there's a team-Jacob though"

he chuckled and put his arm around me doing the whole 'yawn & stretch' move. I rolled my eyes and nested my head on his shoulder

"That is the fakest plot I've ever seen"

Luke said as we exited the theater and went for a walk down the pier to wake up our sleeping legs

"so you've never Bourne Identity then?"

I chuckled. Not in the mood to do anything else we mounted the bike again and returned home with the sun setting behind us. Four people were staring us down leaning against my car

"Busted"

Luke said in a sing-song voice. I elbowed him in the ribs and leaned on him getting up from the bike.

"We need to powder our noses"

Angela stated and she and Ariel dragged me backwards each holding one of my arms. I mouthed 'sorry' and let them.

"Why didn't you tell us you were going on a date?"

Ariel all but shouted once we reached her yard.

"it was not a date"

I exclaimed. Angela lifted one dark eyebrow and gave me the once over. I felt like pulling my dress lower to cover my legs

"You sure about that? You were smiling"

"We're friends!"

Both of them shook their heads as if I were lying. I'm not! I passed my hand through my hair - I really need to buy myself a helmet - and we returned to my yard. Tom and Jerry had the same exasperated expression on as Ariel and Angela. Luke met my eyes and rolled his soft brown ones, I smiled.

Just then a silver SUV stopped at the other side of the street and six people stepped out of the large vehicle. The driver, a blond girl, looked at a map, then at my house and at last, me and the circle that were now forming a line standing in pairs.

"Can I help you?"

Angela took change. With a glance among them a brunette girl took charge and replied in a calm tone

"We were looking for someone"

"Who?"

Luke asked and with another glance a blond guy from the group replied handing a cell phone to Luke

"this guy"

Luke looked at the screen then passed it on around. Eventually it found its way to me. the man seemed to be mid thirties to early forties, with short brown hair and a mustache around his mouth. I felt like I should know him.

"Who is he?"

Tom asked before I could reply

"His name is John"

A brunette guy with pretty lashes replied.

"He's my father"

The blond girl said with obvious anguish in her voice. my head snapped up. That was the girl with the broken down car

"Do I know you?"

I asked her drawing all eyes on me. Both boys of the other group moved to shield her slightly from our view but she pushed them both back. Her blue eyes locked on mine before looking at my car.

"I think...yes. You helped me with my car"

Understanding dawned on me.

"We did magic together"

We said at the same time. I dropped my eyes on the photo on the phone again. This time I recognized the deep brown eyes of the man. I've seen them on my mirror every day for the past seventeen years.

The man, 'John' is my father.

He's Charlie.


	16. A trip down memory lane

Chapter 16 – A trip down memory lane

"You did magic together?"

The brunette girl of the other group accused Cassie who threw her a dirty glance. I cleared my throat and mouthed 'sorry' to Angela who shook her head smiling. I handed the phone back to the blond guy shaking my head.

"Sorry, never seen him before"

I lied. I didn't want to tell a stranger that the man had my father's eyes. I didn't know her. Lucas gave me a side glance somehow understanding I lied but taking my side nonetheless.

"Can you send that picture on my phone? Just in case one of our parents knows him"

He replied to the strangers. The blond guy nodded after checking with the rest of his friends and the two exchanged numbers and the picture. For some reason Cassie and I had locked eyes in a grand stare down with the medallion hanging in my chest burning.

"Why don't we go inside?"

Ariel proposed gently picking the general sour mood. The guy with the pretty lashes probably felt the same vibe and agreed quickly and we all headed for the patio chairs on Ariel's front lawn.

"What are your names?"

Tom asked trying to breaking the ice as he and Jerry brought two tables together making enough room for all of us to sit on.

"I'm Adam and he's Jake"

The guy with the pretty lashes said pointing to himself and the blond guy. The girl who scolded Cassie spoke next pointing to herself and then the slightly darker skinned girl with the curls

"I'm Diana, this is Melissa and she's..."

"Faye"

the raven haired girl said in a low seductive tone running her fingers with the long blood red nails down Luke's arm. Angela lifted one eyebrow and sent me a look. I felt my lips form a smirk and cleared my throat although Luke's panicked look was kind of unique.

"This is Angela, the one with the pink hair is Ariel, the twins are Tom and Jerry, the guy in red is Lucas and I'm Bella"

A round of hey, hi and whatnot followed.

"why are you looking for you father? is he missing or something?"

Angela asked Cassie who shrugged noncomitaly playing with something in her pocket before Melissa rolled her eyes and replied.

"He did a number on us and disappeared. We tracked him here"

"what kind of a number?"

I asked shaking a little. Tom threw me a side glance.

"None of your business"

Faye snapped her eyes gleaming looking ready for a fight.

"How about we call this a night? We'll ask around and if someone knows him we'll give you a call"

Jerry snapped and stood up looking intimidating (for the first time since I met him actually) even through his military green pants and t-shirt. For the first time he didn't look like a jock or like a jokster but like a serious guy standing up for a friend.

"Sorry for Faye, she's being... Faye"

Diana said quietly as they all piled in that grey SUV and drove off.

"Well... that was interesting"

Tom said jokingly.

"Is it me or did you guys feel threatened too?"

Ariel asked with a tremor.

"Yeah. We're going to see them again. And it won't be funny"

Angela said quietly. I felt eyes on me

"Bella? Is everything alright?"

Luke asked me and I shook my head finally looking away from the end of the street where the taillights disappeared. I mumbled an excuse to my friends and all but ran home where Charlie was nowhere to be found. I dug in my bag to find my phone

"Dad? Come home. NOW"

I left him a message and pulled my laptop open and went through the PDF file Angela had given me with the collective Book data hoping to find something more about my father but there was nothing. Actually it had nothing on our parents circle - if there even had been one - and mom's Book, my Book, was just as useless. On a whim I opened my favorite web search but putting the name 'Cassie + Chance harbor' would only work for Melinda Gordon. It gave me squat. My only source of information would have to be Charlie.

Luckily he came home soon all but kicking the front door down our Akita hot in his trail.

"are you okay Bells, what happened?"

he panted, his gun in his hand checking the room quickly.

"I met a girl, she was looking for her father"

Is it me or did he just tense a little?

"Do you know him?"

I handed him the printed photo and this time I swear he tensed

"who was she?"

"Charlie please. don't do this. don't answer my question with another question. Do you know him?"

he walked to the kitchen, grabbed two beers from the fridge and came vack to the living room handing me one.

"I don't drink"

"you'll need it"

he said under his breath and sat on his recliner.

"That man on the photo, bells, he... he's me. from a long time ago"

he was right, I do need the beer. I took a swing and coughed at the taste.

"he looks the same age as you do now"

"I was him today. when I said I was going fishing"

I blinked

"you just said he's you from a long time ago Charlie"

he looked down. then his eyes met mine and I could read the sorrow in him. he stood, walked to his gun safe, unlocked it, put the gun he still had in his belt inside and pulled a thick large book out. he sat back down, on the loveseat next to me this time but didn't give me the book.

"Let me tell you a story or better yet repeat after me: _Corpore intin, comsera en praterum_"

I did and with the blink of an eye the house was gone from around us. We were at a large field, standing on a cliff watching as a bunch of people were following a man away from a town. I turned to Charlie and asked softly

"where are we?"

"where do you think we are?"

Charlie replied just as softly.

"my gut tells me Salem, my brain tells me I'm nuts"

he chuckled.

"go with your gut, always"

I smiled and turned to watch to the large group of people that seemed to grow through time and the began to argue and turn against their guide.

"what's going on?"

"shhh watch"

the bunch of people formed a circle and some sort of explosion happened within it setting their guide on fire. I gasped as the man burned, the medallion on my neck burning with it. Charlie fell to his knees, grasping his chest.

"Daddy?"

I knelt next to him.

"I'm good. its phantom pain baby. nothing can hurt us here, its a memory. nothing more"

he turned to look at the people that put a large rock on the ground and broke it to three pieces. then the large group broke to three smaller ones, each taking a piece of the rock and parting ways. One of the groups walked right past me and Charlie led by a woman.

"mom?"

"No, her ancestor"

"I... I don't understand. she looks just like mom"

"Your brain tells you that because your heart recognizes your family"

I nodded.

"what now?"

he took a deep breath holding my hand the scenery around us changed. the muddy cliffs were gone and replaced with a far more modern small town. We were standing in a vast living room. A man was in front of us, standing facing a mirror arguing with himself.

"No! I don't! No... Nooooo"

"I'm stronger son"

the scream died on his lips as he stood straighter and headed out of the house. His face was a younger version of the one on Cassie's photo

"Is that... Cassie's father?"

I asked aloud.

"yes and no"

I looked at him blankly

"He's Francis Balcoin Bells. my ancestor. the one that you saw being killed earlier. The same one that... used me as his last male descendant when I... succumbed to my dark side and used that medallion"

"what happened?"

I asked apprehensive of the answer. Wordlessly Charlie pointed to the bay windows where Balcoin was reflected thanks to the sun.

One window showed the man in he photograph holding two babies, one in each arm, one blond the other brunette. The man's eyes were empty and fire shone inside them. He glared at the babies as if he wanted something from them. Something he wasn't getting.

The other window had Charlie. He was holding only one baby. His eyes were a deep shade of brown looking lovingly at the baby.

"he fathered children being you, didn't he? He is Cassie's father but who is the other baby?"

I whispered suddenly understanding. Charlie nodded

"Diana. But he's not ME! He never was"

the connection to the past was broken and once again we were in the living room. I finished my beer, that was now warm, with one gulp.

"what did you do to cassie and her friends?"

"Sixteen years ago, the Chance Harbor circle tried to kill me. They tried to kill John Blackwell"

"who?"

"the name Francis Balcoin used when he was me"

I nodded

"okay"

"they thought they succeeded. In a way they did. The collective power helped me toss him away from me and get control of my body again. I tried to destroy the Balcoin medallion and it broke creating two. You have one around your neck. Cassie has the other"

"and? what about the medallion?"

"When Balcoin was killed in Salem his dark magic was stored in that medallion so when Cassie used hers she released a small part of Balcoin"

"that doesn't sound good"

"it wasn't. As soon as I stepped foot in Chance Harbor I became Blackwell again"

I felt my face harden

"what happened?"

"He... I guided Cassie to work on her dark magic. Lied to their circle and forced them to create the part of the Skull"

"what skull?"

"the huge rock you saw before..."

I looked at the book in his lap.

"where is that part of the skull?"

"Hidden. and as long as you don't use your medallion no one will find it"


	17. A game

Chapter 17 – A game

Next day was Monday. For the first time in my life I wanted to skip school and play it hooky all day. Think the school is going to call Charlie? Yeah me too.

After going through my morning routine I got dressed, skipped breakfast and headed to school driving my own instead of the usual carpooling since I was running late.

"Hey"

"Hey Ang"

"Everything ok? You ran away like a bat out of paradise last night"

"Not really, no"

"wanna talk about it?"

"sure but not here, 'kay? too many ears and far more walls"

"sure"

She nodded with an easy smile and we headed to first class. Throughout the day my mind flew to the images of the previous night again and again.

Cassie and Diana are my sisters. The high and holy brunette with the sweet girl turned bitchier and darker with the help of her medallion are my sisters. Perfect! I thought sarcastically and tried to focus back at class.

During gym headmaster Capwell interrupted the class with an announcement. There would be a game that Sunday between Forks High and Chance Harbor High. I don't think its humanly possible for necks to be snapped so quickly as we all looked at each other.

"Now that's gonna be interesting."

Ariel muttered.

The week passed quickly. Tom and Jerry along with the rest of the basketball team, were pulled out of most their classes for what the twins said was the hardest training of their lives. Angela badgered Ben, her 'boss' at the school paper to cover the game much to his amusement.

Angela hates sports as much as I do, and that says a lot.

There was a general feeling of calm before the storm the whole week leading up to the game, so every afternoon the whole circle would get together at one of our houses to work on various spells and to generally study. The closer we got to Game Day the more friction happened between us and the rest of the school. On Friday Luke beat up a guy for even looking at Ariel the wrong way. We were all trembling with anticipation.

Sunday morning a small bus with the basketball team, the cheerleaders, the coach and Headmaster began the short journey to Chance harbor. Behind it were two other cars. My blue mini with Ariel, Angela, Lukas and myself and Lucas's mom's dark red explorer with our parents.

The two hour drive passed quietly but fast thanks to the absent early morning traffic. Seriously who schedules a game for 7 am? Doesn't anyone ever sleep in in the weekends on the west coast?

"Do you feel that?"

Ariel whispered the moment we passed the 'Welcome to Chance Harbor, Washington' sign breaking the silence.

"yeah"

Angela whispered back. The air felt heavy around us, full of Power but darker than ours. I shivered as I drove and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air.

The school bus drove through the small town until it reached the school, where the students were unloaded. Students from Chance high were around and began booing at ours. Forks High kids were booing back

"Real mature!"

Luke joked throwing an arm around me and lit a cigarette. I chuckled and tossed his arm away grabbing Ariel's light blue leather jacket and we entered the stadium. It wasn't too large but it was filled to the brim with students, parents and some teachers. Jerry dropped his leather jacket along with Tom's with us and rushed off with the rest of the team.

"Have you noticed we all wear leather jackets in different colors?"

I said absently playing with the sleeves of my leather jacket. Startled Angela looked at us - Luke with his dark red jacket, Ariel with her baby blue, my sugary white one, Tom's dark green, Jerry's chocolate brown in Ariel's lap - and back to her own sandy beige jacket and chuckled.

"Guess leather is very witchy around here"

Ariel replied motioning to the opposite side of the bleachers. There a group of teenage witches were sited clad also in leather jackets. Except they all wore black. I chuckled back while Luke nodded at them and the blond guy, Jake, nodded back.

A whistle was heard and a woman with honey color dyed hair gave a speech, then Headmaster Capwell gave another speech, the two glared at each other for a few moments and the game began.

I tried to keep my attention in it.

I failed miserably.

Less than ten minutes in the game, I yawned like the MGM Lion and put my head on Luke's shoulder. I was knocked back just as I was about to nod off when Luke jumped to his feet (along with our half of the bleachers) about something the referee did that I did not quite catch. My cell phone beeped with a message.

"Bored?"

I did not recognize the number but Diana shook a phone smiling. I nodded and replied

"Out of my skull"

I watched as she read my message and she pointed to the exit of the stadium under some bleachers on the side and I nodded.

"I'll be right back"

I whispered in Angela's ear and pointed to where I'd be. She nodded, slghtly frowning

"Don't forget your phone"

"Yes mother"

I snickered back and after a round of 'excuse me', 'coming through' and quite a few stepped toes (mostly mine) I finally reached the entrance of the stadium. A grinning Diana stood there rubbing the inside of her right palm.

"hey"

"Hi"

silence fell between us for a moment. she cringed at the soudns of the stadium.

"Not fan of sports?"

"not at all"

"me either"

I smiled hesitantly. Looks like Diana and I do have something in common. A sudden wind blew bringing some sort of dust. I dusted my jacket but Diana's eyes widened at the brownish ash and exclaimed

"Witch hunters"

before running back to the stadium

"Witch what?"


	18. Witchhunters

Chapter 18 – Witch hunters

I ran after Diana flabbergasted. Witch hunters? Did I step into the Twilight Zone again?

Inside the stadium was hailing. Only it wasn't hail exactly. It fell like small flames; setting fire to anyone it fell on. My mouth fell open seeing it.

"Oh my Gods"

Diana made a beeline for her friends but a handful of 'hail' stopped her and I pulled her back.

"Know any spells for that?"

I asked her trying and failing to locate my friends and our parents.

"I can't remember any water ones. You?"

"It's Greek Fire Diana. Water will make it worse. We need to fight fire with fire"

"How?"

She shouted. Around us people were set on fire thanks to the 'hail'. I bit my lip but all fire spells I had read about seemed non fitting.

"I have an idea. How good are you guys with visualizations?"

"No idea"

"Call your friends"

She whipped a silver phone and dialed a number putting it on speaker. I did the same

"I want everyone to visualize a tent of fire above the stadium. Can you do that?"

I asked. A mumbling was all I got in reply except for Cassie

"I can do better with my dark magic"

"Your dark magic will kill us all and our parents Cassie"

Diana snapped.

"On three. 1, 2, now"

I ordered and guided my eyes to what seemed to be the middle of the stadium. beside me I felt Diana doing the same. The whole stadium was filled with people running but without surviving. Only a handful of people were motionless, standing tall and soon the mental image of a fiery tent began to materialize. A few more minutes and it was solid enough to absolve the Greek Fire stopping it from falling down, protecting everyone that stood in the stadium for a while.

I fell on my knees next to Diana both of us breathing heavily.

"Is everyone alright?"

Diana asked her face pale from the mental exertion. Both our circles, all teenage witches descended cautiously and gathered near us.

"Guys Run!"

headmaster capwell shouted over the microphone before disappearing inside a thick fog of black smoke

"Dad no!"

Tom and Adam called out but a bearded man shook his head replying to Adam.

"We have to get everyone out son. Go"

Penelope in her slightly burned out dress shooed us away and I caught sight of Charlie nodding.

"We'll be at the boathouse"

Melissa called out to our parents and we all ran away to the street that was perfectly built. Only the smoke of the school stadium alerted people that something was wrong and three fire trucks were already there dousing the place with water.

"They'll be fine"

Angela said softly trying to persuade herself along with us.

I didn't believe her. No one did.

However seeing the news van parking near us we turned and let Adam guide us away from the burning school, down to the town square, to the boardwalk by the pier and into a rather large diner in the shape of a large boat overlooking the water. we dropped to a large corner table and sat there.

Not talking to each other.

Not looking at each other.

Each of us lost in thought.

The medallion on my neck was burning as high as the fire. I kept rubbing my fingers over it letting the cool metal sooth and calm me. Cassie was playing with hers but she was already calm. In fact she felt a little too calm.

"Coffee anyone?"

Adam asked subdued a while later.

"Got anything stronger?"

Luke replied softly. I snorted. Some alcohol would actually be good right now. Wordlessly Adam brought a large bottle of Jack Daniels and filled water glasses with the amber liquid. We all drank at the same time as if we were a part of an old cowboy movie and drinking the burning drink brought some life to all of us

"What now?"

Faye in her scorched black top said.

"We find out who did it"

Tom replied coldly but Melissa shook her head

"Witch hunters. They've been after us for quite some time"

"Can't you deal with them?"

Angela asked but Jake shook his head wrapping an arm around Faye

"We tried and thought we succeeded"

"Then how do you know it was them?"

I asked trying to make sense

"The brownish ash you saw before? its used by witch hunters to identify witches"

Diana said from beside me

"And twelve witches plus our parents were at a small place. Our combined energy must have been like fireworks"

"Damn"

Jerry said uncharacteristically somber for once. We stood quietly for a while each of us burning on the inside waiting for news and downing drink after drink like it was mere water. Faye was drumming her long crimson nails to the table annoying everyone. Luke's leg was moving up and down like a piston making me seasick. Ariel was twirling one of her baby blue rings around her finger nested comfortably in jerry's arms who was locked in a stare down with tom.

"I'm going back"

Jake announced leaping to his feet with Luke in tow and they made a beeline for the exit. They were stopped by Charlie whose mustache was charred; his face reddened supporting Gillian who fell in Luke's arms coughing badly. Behind him was the principal from chance high supported by headmaster Capwell. His jacket was gone and was clad in his pants only, his shirt blocking their mouths against the smoke, her dress was ruined and her face a mask of sorrow. She hugged Faye wordlessly while hector grabbed both his sons in his arms

"I'm sorry"

Charlie broke down and I jumped from my seat running to his arms understanding.

The parents were dead.

Suddenly the deafening silence was replaced with loud wails.

Angela was screaming in the arms of Adam who was sitting next to her. Ariel was hugging Melissa and they both cried loudly. Diana had fallen to her knees rocking back and forth like a mental patient tears streaming down her cheeks. The only ones remaining calm were Jake and Cassie.

They were the ones that had no one left to lose


	19. Funerals

Chapter 19 - Funerals

It was a while before all the tears dried down. One by one the teenagers regained our composures (for the most part) and allowed our parents to do the same. we all migrated back to the table, still holding each other like a lifeline.

"How?"

Diana whispered brokenly.

Faye's mom looked at the table for a moment before refilling all glasses with alcohol and taking a deep breath he began speaking.

"I knew organizing this game would be a bad idea but it was high time you twelve got to know each other. I even talked your grandmother Diana into bringing Charles to the game. It was my fault"

Tears slid down the woman's cheeks. Diana shook her head although her fists were clenched.

"Blackwell is your father Diana"

Cassie said in a petulant tone. Diana shook her head harder, a little more and it would come undone.

"No, he's not"

Dad said. His tone was remorseful.

"How do you know that?"

Cassie demanded. I twitched in my seat, silently wondering. Why did I like her when we first met? Frankly all I wanted to do right now was smack her really, _really_ hard before telling her that her dark roots were showing. She'd have to visit the hair salon soon. I have a feeling the vain comment would hurt her more than the broken nose. As if reading my mind Ariel smiled.

"Because I'm Blackwell"

Dad said coldly extending his right hand on the table, palm up. There, embedded in the flesh of his palm was the symbol of my medallion. Cassie's eyes darkened but Diana snapped her head up. Whispers broke between the teens.

Finally Hector Capwell had enough and whistled loudly making everyone shut up.

"Thank you! Now, I know Charlie my entire life. I know he's not crazy and he's not trying to fool you all. Yes, he made a mistake years ago and the result of that mistake costed your parents their lives but like it or not it's in the past!"

he bellowed effectively ending all whispering. From the corner of my eye I saw Faye's mom (I really need to ask her name btw) swoon a little at his leader like tone. Faye rolled her eyes smirking.

"You had different face last time we saw you"

Adam said suspiciously. Dad smirked and dove tot he same story he allowed me to see before and when he was done Diana spoke quietly

"So you are not my father?"

Dad shook his head

"I would be proud to call you my daughter too Diana, but no it isn't true. Charles was your father. I admit, I did sleep with your mother but Francis' hold on me wasn't strong and your mother slept with your father too and his semen was stronger than mine"

Diana's lips were graced by the sincerest smile as she thanked dad for being honest with her.

"Days of our lives: the witches version"

Melissa joked breaking the shell-shocked silence. Adam laughed a choked laugh and put his arm around her again.

"What's your name again?"

"Dawn"

"You didn't finish what happened earlier dawn"

Angela prodded bringing the topic back to tracks. Dawn's fingers traveled to her neckline where a pendant hang and she touched it lightly. it was hidden by her shirt but I think it was similar to mine, the triple moon.

"Right after the game started Ethan said he saw something by the entrance but the stadium was too crowded for him to see clearly"

"I was heading the same way when he stomped on my foot as he headed to it but neither of us made it far. The fire began falling"

Gillian spoke for the first time. She was still holding onto Luke tightly, her eyes glazed over. she was seeing something visible only to her.

"we saw you kids confer and slowly build up the cover of fire and all I could thing off was that you did it. you managed to work together. Delia told me how proud she was and then..."

"then all hell broke loose again"

dawn finished.

"the fire was getting stronger and the smoke thicker. that's when we told you guys to leave"

Hector said and this time it was dad who finished the story

"We used the smoke to fight back. Ethan and Kate Meade fought side by side, Gillian and Delia, Sam with Charles and we did win this time kids. I owed Eben and the rest of them that much"

Silence descended once again as we finished the bottle and a new one was opened.

"Now what?"

Melissa asked

"Now we plan the funerals"

Ariel replied.

"Together"

Tom finished, his voice strong even though his cheeks were marred with tearstains.

We were one month away from winter break and it was a somber month. Funerals were planned and held on Sundays, school was cancelled due to the number of deaths on both cities and yet the two circles grew together until we formed a larger and greater one. Sure it took some time with multiple leader personalities but we managed to make it work. For the most part anyway

Jake kept a tight watch over the flirty Faye and teaming up with Luke they worked on their element using fire to create a friendship.

Diana and Angela became friends fast as they worked over the pain of loosing a father together.

Adam and Ariel swam together (even though the temperatures strictly forbade it)

Melissa lost a bit of her bitchy exterior and became the perfect third musketeer to Tom and Jerry pranking everyone else and began to look at Hector as a surrogate father.

As for cassie and me... well we're not friends but at least we're not ripping each other's throats out. However I had cloaked and hidden dad's BoS with Adam's help until we found a way to release her from Francis' hold on her.

The battle was not over yet.


	20. The third circle

Chapter 20 – The third circle

Next weekend during a circle meeting in chance harbor I saw the triple moon pendant on Dawn's neck.

"Can I ask you something Dawn?"

I asked her as soon as the meeting was over

"Sure, what's up?"

"Where did you get that pendant?"

"My mother-in-law passed it down to me when we formed our circle, why?"

Dawn asked me. I shrugged one shoulder.

"I'm not sure but it has to mean something, right? You're a part of the parent's circle and I'm a part of the children circle. Yet we wear the same pendant"

"Maybe there is a grandparent circle with the same pendant"

Dawn whispered and calling the circle together we decided to go through the information we had over the grandparents' circles.

Melissa was the best great at digging information and along with Jake they worked through the research Jake's grandfather had done using Gillian's doctor status when they needed help. Unfortunately they found nil about the grandparents circle, both in Chance harbor and in Forks but Charlie shared stories that were passed down the Balcoin line about the Original Circle in Salem.

"I have a crazy idea"

Ariel said.

"How about we find that third circle?"

Faye finished with a wicked smile on her ruby red lips. Similar smiles were spread throughout the large room.

"According to my grandfather one circle went west first to Phoenix and then Chance Harbor while the other two circles remained east"

Jake started.

"Our circle headed from Salem to Minnesota and then headed also west settling here"

Angela shared. I took down a large detailed map of the states and spread it on the floor between us all. Melissa handed me a few colored pins and with Diana's help we placed them in our positions in the map. A red one went where the Old Salem would be in a modern map. A yellow one was placed in Chance Harbor, a darker yellow was in Phoenix, a white pin was placed in Minnesota a lighter one in Forks.

"the only unpinned place is the southeast corner and the central America"

Ariel mumbled. Adam nodded

"guve that string"

using the thick string Adam connected all pins creating a four point shape. Then he took a ruler and a thick marker and counting the distance between phoenix and chance harbor, he was led to the fifth point on the map by counting the distance it should have from Salem.

"There. Unless I'm completely wrong the third circle should be in Florida"

"Where in Florida?"

Jerry asked. I bit my nail

"Faye, Tom can your parents access the school logs in Florida?"

Faye raised one eyebrow in question. Tom just blinked

"Why?"

"Everyone in your circle Faye was born during October and November, right? Everyone in our circle was born during January and February"

"So in that logic if we find five kids in the same school born in two consecutive months"

"That aren't October - November or January - February"

Ariel butted in earning her a dark glare from Faye

"Could be the third circle"

Faye continued

"That's insane"

Cassie decided.

"But it might work"

Diana argued back. Faye agreed she'd ask her mother to look into it and so did the twins.

Too bad nobody noticed the twisted annoyed expression on Cassie's lips or the fact that the half finished crystal skull was now hidden in her backpack

Two weeks later Faye's eyes was gleaming as she announced she did it. Dawn had pulled through and now Faye was holding a list with five names and their birth dates.

Angela grabbed it off her hands and read the names out loud.

"Lana Archer, Donna Smith, Lewis Black, Chris & Doug Gordon. All born July or August 1994, like us"

"Were are they?"

Adam asked

"In a small town nobody has even heard of in Florida"

Jerry smirked

"I hear Florida is amazing in the winter"

Jake & Luke (that had become best pals) nodded laughing while shotting darts.

"when do we leave?"

Ariel asked smiling broadly. Diana pulled open her laptop and began looking information on flights as no one felt like driving to Florida.

"Where's Cassie?"

"Where's the Skull?"

Melissa and Tom asked at the same time. The rest of us ran to them dropping our dafflebags in a mess at the front door of Charlie's house in Chance harbor and ran to the basement. A bright yellow post-it was taped in the hole we had dug to bury the half finished skull in order to cleanse it.

"Sorry"

It said in Cassie's handwriting.

"Crap"

We arrived in hot Florida at 5pm. The sun was high and it was blazing hot. Honestly thought, after growing up in Phoenix and spending three months in Forks, the blazing heat was more than welcome!

Tom rented a large hummer and Melissa looked up the address of one of the kids, Lewis, on her phone and we headed there talking strategy. Faye smirked getting out of the car, took off her jacket and was left in a clingy see through bloody red top and walked up to the house.

I have no idea what she said but then she returned to the car with the address of the usual hangout of Lewis. Jake told her to cover up before he drove to the address. Faye ignored him.

Predictably enough we found ourselves in a secluded little strip of a beach. Right when the waves crushed were a bunch of the most athletic people I've ever seen! However the Energy that surrounded them was blackest than the edge of the universe.

There were six people. Two blond girls lounging in the sun, both in white swimsuits, two identical blond guys in blue trunks standing next to two surfboards, a brunette guy in green swimsuit and another guy in fiery red Speedo. He had the blackest energy and seemed to be the one bossing the others around.

"Now what?"

Ariel asked quietly.

"They're six of them, why?"

Melissa exclaimed. I bit my lip.

"one of them is a Balcoin. Charlie said that while Balcoin wore him he had a child in the third circle as well"

I said quietly. Luke squeezed my hand and I put my head on his shoulder.

"Makes sense. He did it with Cassie too"

Diana said leaving the 'me as well' unsaid but we all heard it. It was true, Balcoin had managed to have a 'child' in all circles but he messed up with me. Dad was truly in love with Renee so he fathered me, not Balcoin.

"Do you think they know?"

Angela asked keeping her eyes trained on the guy with the green shorts.

"You bet they do"

Jake exclaimed venomously pointing to a girl in a black bikini that got out of the water and sat next to the guy with the red speedo

"Cassie"


	21. Florida Yule

Chapter 21 – Florida Yule

"Jake turn the car around, we need to go shopping"

Diana announced as we watched Cassie get friendly with the third circle for a few minutes

"Shopping, why?"

I whined. Luke chuckled knowing my deep hate for shopping

"Because we need to blend in. we look like a biker gang right now"

Diana finished sounding like a parent. I pouted and gave her my best puppy dog expression. She didn't budge an inch. I sighed in defeat.

"I promise I'll take you to a midnight swim"

Luke whispered in my ear. I smirked and placed a kiss on his cheek

"Deal. But forget it and I'll gut you!"

I threatened and he laughed. Honesty I needed some alone time with him. Since that game day we hadn't had a single moment to ourselves with the whole circle deal.

However Diana was right. We all wore a tank top or a t-shirt, with jeans holding a leather jacket. The only thing that was missing were the sunglasses and the bikes.

So Jake drove us to a rather large shopping avenue. agreeing to return in one hour we broke in to smaller groups. The girls headed to the shops while the boys went straight to a fast food joint.

Inside the clothing store, the color trend broke us into different sections once again . Ariel went straight to the blues, Melissa to the greens, Diana and Angela to the soft white's and striking yellows while Faye paid attention only to red. I wanted to head to the whites too but three brunettes wearing white bathing suits? We'd look like a summer catalogue!

Instead I joined Faye in the reds thinking I could just browse.

"What do you think of that?"

Faye was holding a tiny red handkerchief. Upon closer inspection I realized it was a bikini and shook my head.

"Far too revealing. You need to keep them guessing"

I fake scolded her and in a teasing tone pointed to a orangish red one-piece. She glowered at me and went back to look at bikinis leaving me alone. If I didn't know she's a softie underneath, that glare would have sent me running! Faye chuckled under her breath and took the tiny excuse of a bikini and went to try it on. I saw a bathing suit that left me open mouthed. It was a bikini, large enough to cover me, in a soft silver color that seemed to change color depending on how the light hit it. Smiling I went to try it.

"what do you think?"

I asked Melissa who had on a lime green bikini and was currently browsing shorts. she smiled

"Perfect!"

I smiled and joined her in the cover-up section. Soon we were all done and checked each other out.

Angela had gotten a white knitted tanking with a pair of beige shorts on, Diana had a white one-piece with gold straps under her breasts and matching sarong and Faye had a sparkly red bikini that left little to imagination with a tight black pair of what would be better described as booty-shorts. It was actually sexy! As for me I had my new bikini on paired with a cargo, mini skirt in a soft sugary white color.

Paying for our purchases we headed back outside where the boys were under the impression they were five years old and were in the middle of a heated watertight.

"Can't even leave them alone for a second!"

Melissa sighed and whistled loudly. like a pack of well trained dogs, they stopped immediately turning to look at us.

Adam, who had on a pair of military styled Bermuda shorts, hugged her close the moment he picked his jaw off the floor. Jake rolled his eyes at Faye but stood next to her like a bodyguard, looking the part great in a pair of tomato red swim shorts. Tom made a whip motion at his twin who ignored him properly and hugged Ariel showing everyone she was taken. the twins had identical mossy green swim trunks. I stepped next to Luke and his dark red Baywatch style swim shorts holding Diana's hand realizing she was stag.

"back to the beach?"

Melissa asked.

"No. food first"

Adam replied.

"Didn't you guys just eat?"

Ariel asked twirling one pink curl around her nimble fingers.

"still hungry"

the twins said with one voice. Rolling our eyes we headed to a cafe to get ice-cream.

"wait here"

Luke said handing me his mint cone and ran to a beach store. he returned within moments holding an oversized beach ball in one hand and an equally oversized sun block lotion in the other. laughing we all lathered each other with the coconut flavored cream and finished our creamy slices of heaven before piling in the car again.

Arriving at the small beach, we were relieved to see that the group was still there only this time they were playing volleyball.

Tom smiled and kicked the beach ball hard enough to send it straight in the middle of their game. The guy in green glowered at us and without a word Diana and I went to fetch our ball.

"sorry guys"

Diana apologized with an alluring smile. one of the twins, the one with the wavy hair, waved her apology and handed her our ball.

"Cassie, what are you doing here?"

I asked in my best surprised tone. My half-sister looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"how do you know each other?"

the guy in the red asked. Well, more like demanded. I smiled sweetly

"we're sisters"

a thunder crackled in the clear blue sky.

"she didn't tell you?"

I asked in my most surprised tone. I saw Diana hiding a smirk from the corner of my eye.

"No, she didn't"

one of the blond girls spit. I saw Cassie gulping, clearly having bitten far more than she can chew. the guy in the red sent her a scathing glare and I sent Cassie a wide innocent smile silently wondering if my horns were visible through my halo.

"Do you guys have names?"

Diana said in a friendly tone that was borderline with flirt. I bit my lip trying to quench the sudden laughter that rose inside me. the wavy haired twin sent Diana a bright, happy go lucky smile.

"I'm Chris, the guys that looks like me and wishes he's me is Doug"

I rolled my eyes mentally as Diana all but swooned.

"the long face in the green shorts is Lewis, the devil-may-care dude in the red is Shawn"

he went on and finally he pointed to the girls

"the one with the long straight hair is Lana and the one that looks ready to commit murder is Donna"

"I'm Diana and this is Bella"

Shawn and I shook hands and he burned me. I yelped and took my hand back. In his palm shone the same symbol on my medallion and on Cassie's palm. I touched lightly the medallion that hang right between my breasts and turning it to reveal the symbol.

"Guess we're related too"


	22. A much needed siesta

Chapter 22 – A much needed siesta

his eyes widened looking from cassie to me. Diana grabbed my pinky with hers.

"We should go back. Our friends are waiting"

She sent a stunning smile and we turned on our heels walking away. Right before we joined the rest of the circle I spoke over my shoulder.

"I want the skull Cass. Remember, you can't use it without me"

We joined the others and plopped down in the hot sand.

"They really need you to use it?"

Melissa asked. I shook my head

"No, but they don't know that"

"You're evil"

Luke stated. I fake punched him in the stomach and he made a show of being in pain. Faye smirked and made a show of disrobing before slowly getting to the sea and swimming.

"when in Rome"

Ariel declared and ran after Faye in the water.

"Now this really is different,"

Melissa said happily to Ariel some time later, while they were both floating in water up to their chins.

"A swimming party in Yule. This is witchy"

"Would be more witchy if we were all sky-clad,"

Tom commented, shaking his spiky dark hair like a wet dog. I looked at Diana and then at Angela who was bobbing nearby. Angela's eyes danced

"Good idea, How about you first, Tom?"

"Wait a minute-I didn't mean-hey, Jerry-help!"

"Come on, girls Tom wants to go skinny-dipping, only he's a little shy."

"Help! Guys, help!"

It turned into a sort of combination of tag and aquatic wrestling. Everyone joined in.

I was being chased by Luke and swam away as fast as possible kicking up great splashes while he cut cleanly through the surf behind me. He got close enough to grab me.

"Help!"

I shrieked half laughing, so that I accidentally drank some salt water. But there was no help in sight. Melissa and Ariel were heading an assault on the Capwell twins, and Adam and Diana were far away, their sleek heads bobbing side by side as they were playing.

For a couple forced to break up thanks to a 'curse' binding him with Cassie and then he and Cassie broke up thanks to Blackwell and he was now dating Melissa, they were pretty friendly.

Luke tossed wet shaggy hair out of his eyes and grinned at me. I grinned back bringing my legs to touch his thighs.

"Surrender," he suggested.

"Never"

I said shaking my head playfully. Luke is handsome - but if he got a hold of me right now, we'd end up in a massive make out session. He made another grab at me and I shrieked for help laughing loudly and suddenly there was a wave between them.

"Go on! Get out of here!"

Faye said. Her eyes gleamed wickedly under long, wet lashes. she had a pair or red trunks in one hand

"Bella grab him around the neck while I get his trunks!"

I had no idea how to grab a guy as strong as Luke around the neck, especially when I was laughing so hard, but I surged forward. Faye dove like a dolphin, and Nick twisted and made a hasty retreat, swimming away as fast as he could.

Faye came up again holding his swim trunks laughing loudly. I grinned back and we swam to the shore.

We were a few feet from the shore when a hand grabbed my ankle. Shouting I kicked hard. behind us a grinning Cassie was floating in the water.

"Why are you here?"

She glowered

"You took something of ours Cassie"

Faye said with a dangerous smirk on her lips.

"that skull is mine. Blackwell is my father"

she declared. Faye looked at her funnily before a single lighting hit next to Cassie

"technically Charlie is your father cassie. so spare me the Blackwell bull. I want the skull pieces back and I want them now"

I concentrated and pushed her back with a strong wave. then I followed faye back outside where the sun had set and Luke and Jake had set up a small fire. Faye sat next to the fire and I sat next to Luke handing him and Jake their trunks.

"What did Cassie want?"

Diana asked. Faye shrugged

"she thought she was a tiger when she really was an angry kitten"

Ariel raised an eyebrow and I explained

"she yapped about Blackwell being her father and her being the rightful owner of the skull pieces"

"Bella told her that Charles Swan is actually her father and pushed her away with a wave. Impressive"

I blushed under Faye's praise. Weird but I grew to like her, when she keeps her paws off of Luke anyway. We spent the next few hours roasting marshmallows and joking.

Hours later we were dead tired. Adam had spotted a motel near the beach earlier and we all headed to it. Luckily it had a lot of rooms so we got four with double beds.

I was in the same room as Jake and Faye and was coming out of the bathroom when my cell phone beeped with a new text

"You're right. Meet me tomorrow, Cassie"

I opened one eye up to find Faye's arms tightly around me and one leg around mine. How did she get here? Last time I checked I was sharing a bed with Luke! I opened my second eye and saw that the boys were sleeping together on the other bed.

I shook Faye awake and put my finger on her lips before she started shouting at me. I pointed to the other bed, where Luke was laying on his back and Jake was cuddled in his arms with his head in Luke's chest. Faye choked back the laughter as we both grabbed our phones and began taking photos.

getting out of bed Faye said she'd call home and I headed to the cafeteria on the roof. Or I would if the weather wasn't seriously bad and the pummeling rain wasn't freezing.

"so much for perfectly weather"

I deadpanned and after ordering breakfast for everyone to be delivered in my room, I went back. By now the boys were awake and the rest of our combined circle was there clad in boxers or pj's. Over breakfast I told the others about Cassie's text. Faye's face was grim.

"mom told me its a lunar eclipse today"

"so?"

Tom asked around a mouthful of pancakes. Angela explained slowly

"A lunar eclipse means that we're the most powerless. If Cassie's showed them how to compile and use the skull we're toast"

"Blackwell showed us but..."

Diana continued

"Don't they need someone from our circle to do that though?"

Ariel asked. I shook my head

"Not necessarily. Blackwell, I mean Balcoin, showed the chance harbor circle how to form their part of it. We did that on our own so that my dad had no idea where it is in case of Balcoin using him again. Cassie took both our parts of it so, she and the Florida circle don't need us. They can compile it and activate it all alone"

"Cassie will show them"

Adam buried his face in his hands.

"we're all gonna die"

"wow, just optimism"

Jake mocked him. Luke's phone rang and he grabbed it. He was silent for a while and then said only 'yes' and hung up.

"It was Gill. She said we need to form one larger circle for tonight"


	23. Why me

Chapter 23 – Why does it always have to be me?

"ONE larger circle?"

Melissa asked. Luke nodded

"I nominate Bella then"

Angela said clearly. My head snapped around to see her

"You're joking."

"No,"

Angela said.

"On your first day at Forks you called all your powers and single handedly you handled a vampire. Your initiation was unique. You didn't even blink when we met the chance harbor circle. You dealt with your father coming from a evil bloodline and a being a meat suit for an eviler guy without even blinking. You are leader material; just don't go all evil on us"

She joked. I snorted before I could help it. Angela sat back down on the bed and Diana stood up.

"I would love to say myself, but I'll vote for Bella too"

Ariel was next

"Bella is the one who led us to the Master Tools. I vote her too"

I was stunned and blushed furiously, but the others were nodding. They were serious.

"Guys I'm also a descendant of Balcoin. The same guy that killed all of your parents. The same guy who lied to Diana about who her daddy was. who tried to father all of you and all of us and has at least one kid in this circle"

Jake rolled his eyes.

"Like you said the dude wore Charlie. And so what if he's an ass? You're not and if you do, I'll spank you"

I raised an eye brow

"Jake?"

Without a word he smacked Luke upside the head. An action he had taken upon when Tom and Jerry were tossing Ariel (the lightest of us all) around one night.

"Thanks"

When the laughter and stupidity subsided I took a deep breath.

"If everyone agrees... I guess 'okay'?"

At the bright smiles around me I quickly added

"Only until we figure this thing out. After that I'm pretty sure Diana and Angela can take back their role"

Diana beamed and grabbing Angela's hands they opened up their backpacks. With a smile Angela took out of her bag the wooden box that held the Tools.

"They're beautiful,"

Faye said, touching the silver diadem with one perfectly manicured nail her eyes gleaming feeling their power. Ariel slapped her hand away smiling

"Here, Bella, put this on."

It was the white shift Angela had worn during my initiation. I took it and went to the bathroom to change into it. I shrugged out of my pj's and underwear because Angela said I had to be naked under it.

The shift fit perfectly and the slit on the thigh wasn't as far up as it looked when Angela had worn it. Taking another deep breath I walked back out to the room looking at the ground uncomfortable by how much skin I was showing. Tom, Jerry and even Jake whistled as I rejoined the group.

It was Adam and Luke's turns to start the head slapping

"Shut up, this is serious"

Ariel said. Melissa placed twelve clear quartz crystals in a circle on the ground.

"stand in there"

Diana ordered and I complied. Angela placed the green leather garter on my left thigh, Melissa placed the heavy silver bracelet on my right arm and Faye placed the diadem in my head and I couldn't help but wonder.

Why is it always me?

"Isabella"

I heard a voice in my mind. It was deep, leader like and scary. It was His voice. Francis Balcoin. I looked at the others and saw they were clueless.

"Bring your coven to the end of Beach. I'm waiting for you."

I took a breath and thought as loudly as possible

"We're coming. Say hello to Cassie!"


	24. The battle begins

Chapter 24 – Battle, part 1

**No Pov**

After telling the others about the message Bella had received, Ariel handed her a pair of white high heeled sandals and the large group left the motel. Strangely enough the rain was still strong but the sky was cloudless and the moon was almost filled with the eclipse.

They ditched the car and holding hands they walked to the long strip of the beach. There was an empty lot that was probably a beach house once upon a time. the beach was pitch black and it was only because Adam was thoughtful enough to bring a flashlight that they could see where they were stepping.

But that's not all they could see

On the empty lot before them, something was appearing. A rectangular bulk was taking shape, and as they watched, it became more and more solid.

A steeply pitched roof, flat clapboard walls, small windows irregularly placed. A door made of heavy planks.

It shone with a dull light, creeping the heck out of them.

"come inside Isabella"

The voice rang inside Bella's head.

"It's time"

she said to the others softly before taking a few steps towards the house. She was halfway up the stairs leading to the front porch when she turned around, ran back to them and planted a wet kiss on Luke's lips

"Just in case I get killed"

she said cheekily and Faye snorted as Bella entered the house. She would never admit it out loud but she respected the girl. if it was up to her she'd be flipping to the dark side within seconds.

Strangely though the outside of the whose was erect and strong but the inside was empty and hollow.

All around her Bella could see candles glowing softly. Most were black or deep red but there were also a few white ones. Like Dorothy, she followed the path of yellow candles to where a large living room would be.

HE was inside, standing so tall that his head almost touched the uneven ceiling. He was giving off a light of pure evil. His face was a mixture of Charlie and John Blackwell, triumphant and cruel, and inside it Bella thought she could see the outlines of the skull.

She felt ready to puke! 'Put your game face on!' she felt that deep voice inside her order her. she gulped, swallowing her distaste

"Father, I've come."

"With your coven, I'm proud of you."

Balcoin extended a hand to her, which she ignored.

"You brought them here very nicely, I'm glad they had the sense to acclaim you as leader."

"It's only temporary"

Bella said calmly. Balcoin smiled with his leery eyes trained on the Master Tools.

"You wear them well"

he said. Bella felt a slow writhe of panic and disgust in her stomach. Why couldn't someone else do it?

"There's no need to be frightened, Isabella. I don't want to hurt you. We have the same purpose: to unify the coven."

"We don't have the same purpose."

"You are my daughter."

"Bullshit. Charles Swan is my father, not you!"

Bella cried trying to reign in her emotions. She always sucked at poker, she thought distractedly as she sought desperately for a distraction, and she glimpsed something behind the tall man.

"Cassie, I didn't see you there, standing in his shadow."

Bella spit in her best Faye attitude. Her words stung Cassie who stepped forward indignantly. She was wearing a black silk shift, looking like a negative image of Bella with her blond hair and black shift with her own diadem, bracelet, and garter. Even though her tools were just symbols she lifted her head proudly and gazed at Bella with smoldering dark green eyes beneath a halo of dark blond curls. On his other side stood Shawn in a black silk sheet wrapped around his waist, his black eyes beady and his hair shaggy like a wild animal. Behind them all, the faint moonlight shone something. Upon closer inspection Bella saw it was a certain vampire

"Edward"

She breathed scared out of her wits. she managed to get him off her once using Dark Magic and his eyes weren't bloody red then

"Come here often boys?"

She joked trying to calm her erratic heartbeat. Balcoin ignored her and spoke before one of the boys could

"My two queens,"

Balcoin said fondly. his next words made Shawn stiffen

"Dark and light. Together, you will rule the coven;"

"And you'll rule us?"

Bella asked sharply. Balcoin smiled again.

"It's a wise woman who knows when to be ruled by a man."

Cassie wasn't smiling. Bella looked at her sideways and so did Shawn. In fact Shawn seemed a bit fed up with being ignored but Balcoin didn't appear to notice.

"Do you want me to kill your friends?"

"No!"

"Then all you have to do is swear an oath. A blood oath, or Edward here will have a nice supper with them"

I felt a pang in my stomach. We killed those two other vampires in Forks but we were united then. I have a feeling that the mess of a circle outside will not succeed in killing Edward. Meanwhile Balcoin held a hand out to Cassie without looking at her. Obediently she reached down to pull a dagger out of her garter. A black-handled knife used for casting circles on the ground. Balcoin held it up, then he cut his own palm. Blood welled out sluggishly, dark red. Once again the sight and smell of blood made Bella light headed.

The tall man held the dagger toward Bella. When she made no move to step forward and take it, he held it toward Cassie.

"Give it to her,"

He said. Cassie obeyed like a well trained puppy. With a glance at Shawn who stood motionless like a mannequin to the side, Bella's fingers grasped it. Cassie moved back to Balcoin's side.

"It's just a little blood, Isabella. Swear obedience to me and your friends and family will be safe. Then you and I can begin our reign together."

The dagger was actually trembling in Bella's hand. There was no way to steady her pulse now. She knew what she was going to do, but she needed time to get her nerve up.

"just you and me, daddy?"

she asked in her best little girl voice and Balcoin smiled over the victory

"yes princess"

"what about Cassie or Shawn. Aren't they your kids too?"

Bella spat, the kiddie voice replaced by a cold tone. The tall man looked momentarily taken aback, then he recovered.

"Why are you bringing them into this? Don't you realize"

While he was in the middle of speaking, Bella had thrown the dagger at him. She'd never thrown a knife before, but some ancestor who'd worn the Master Tools must have, because the bracelet seemed to guide her right arm, and the dagger flashed end over end straight toward Balcoin's heart. But the tall man was simply too quick. He caught the dagger in midair by the blade; and stood holding it, looking at Bella.

"That was unworthy of you, Isabella, And hardly any way to behave to your father. Now I'm angry with you."

"I'm so scared... Are you going to spank me or send me to my room without supper?"

Bella mocked. Balcoin tossed the dagger back and it stuck in the floor in front of Bella, quivering.

"Edward you may feast on one of the kids. go for the brunette in the red, Isabella here seems to have a liking at him."

Edward's red eyes gleamed and he zoomed outside. he was bout to exit the house Bella gave in taking a risk and calling on her dark side to throw a ray of lighting to stop Edward.

"No! I'll do it"

"Good girl. You have no power to defy me!"

"Yes, I do,"

Bella whispered. Shawn caught her eyes fed up with the sorry excuse of a 'father' next to him called on his Power to send her a mental message.


	25. And ends

Chapter 25 – The battle, part 2

In Bella's mind, a door opened and a silver light dawned. Like the moon coming out of a shadow, it illuminated everything. She understood what she should do now. Suddenly, she felt as if a long line of witches were standing behind her. She was only the last, only one of them, and all their knowledge was hers. Their knowledge and their power. Words rose to her lips.

_"Power of moon have I over thee," _

she said shakily. Balcoin stared at her, seeming to recoil.

_"Power of moon have I over thee," _

Bella repeated, more strongly.

_"Power of sun have I over thee."_

Balcoin stepped back. Bella stepped forward, searching for the next words in her mind. But she didn't say them. A voice said them for her, a voice behind her.

_"Power of stars have I over thee"_

It was Diana, her dark hair stirred as if she stood in a wind. Next to her stood Angela who came to stand behind Bella, tall and proud.

_"Power of planets have I over thee."_

_"Power of tides have I over thee"_

Ariel said in a clear voice standing next to Adam

_"Power of rain have I over thee," _

said Adam.

_"Power of water have I over thee"_

two more voices joined. Shawn's eyes widened comically seeing his twin friends.

_"Power of wind have I over thee," _

Dana said. Jake joined her, his eyes cold and angry.

_"Power of fire have I over thee."_

And Lewis.

_"Power of leaf have I over thee"_

_"Power of root have I over thee."_

Tom and Jerry spoke together. Melissa followed

_"Power of rock have I over thee."_

They were all here, all joining Bella, adding their voices to hers. And Balcoin was cowering before them.

_"Power of thunder have I over thee" _

_"Power of lightning have I over thee," _

shouted Luke.

_"Power of dew have I over thee," _

Shawn stepped towards the group taking his place on the right side of Bella.

_"Power of blood have I over thee!"_

Balcoin was against the red wall of the house now, and he looked shrunken. His features had lost definition, and the red glow had died, leaving him black in reality. But there were only seventeen voices; the Original Circle v2 wasn't complete. And only a full Circle could stand against this man.

Suddenly Balcoin straightened. He took a step toward them, and Bella's breath caught.

_"Power of fire have I over thee!" _

a husky voice cried, and he fell back. In astonishment, Bella looked at

Faye. The tall girl seemed to have gained height as Balcoin had lost it, and she looked every inch a barbarian queen as she stood glaring at him. Then she moved to stand beside Bella.

"sorry, I forgot my shoes"

she said in her husky tone, Bella was about to laugh aloud when the last voice joined them

_"Power of darkness have I over thee," _

Cassie said, each word a stabbing knife. hot tears were pouring down her cheeks as she stood on Bella's left creating a unique image or the two black silk shifts surrounding her white one.

_"now go to hell!"_

Bella swore. Like a solar flare with the energy of the entire Circle driving it, a bright white light drove out of the three descendants and straight into Balcoin, focused and intensified, with all the power of Earth and Water combined. And this time when the skull exploded it was in a shattering rain of crystals.

There was a scream that Bella would never forget. Then the floor of the house at the beach disappeared from under her feet

the salty air made Bella open her eyes gingerly. the whole beach lot was filled with teenagers in various positions. in the midst of them all laid Charlie his upper body marred with numerous small cuts

"daddy?"

Bella whispered and she crawled to him and began shaking him.

"Charlie!"

she shouted crying shaking him hard until his chocolate brown eyes opened.

"bells? what are you wearing? cover up!"

his daddy instincts took over as he shrugged out of his light jacket and covered her before any of the guys in the large group woke up. Bella chuckled and she hugged him fiercely tears sliding down her eyes.

"what happened?"

he asked again. Bella shook her head.

"ask me after we make sure everyone's safe"

he nodded and shakily they both stood up. his jacket was long on Bella but still didn't even touch the slit on her leg making him shake his head. He hoped she had packed pants with her!

they walked from person to person together and shook them to make sure they were all alright. And they were. Apart from a few scrapes, and cuts from the exploding crystal skull and Charlie along with Bella, Cassie and Shawn were also covered with the thick, white, glue-like liquid that was supposed to be Edward's bodily fluids.

Cassie wiped it off her upper body gagging with Tom's help. Shawn was coughing badly seated next to them with Faye helping him stand. Luke wrapped his arms around Bella. All around the three siblings were the rest of their respective circles standing in pairs. Diana and the twin with the shaggy hair, Chris, Melissa and Adam, Angela and Lewis, Ariel and Jerry, Lana and the other twin, Doug, Tom with Lana and Jake with Dana.

Charlie shook his head

"I feel like a presenter of dating shows"

he muttered under his breath and sat back down on the now warm sun to look at the moon. The eclipse was over


	26. One unified circle

Chapter 26 – One unified circle

The next day was bright, warm, sunny, the way a winter day in Florida should be. The eighteen teenagers along with Hector Capwell, Dawn Chamberlain, Gillian Wayne, Jake's grandfather, Lana Archer's grandmother and Charlie had taken a seat in the very same beach lot the fight against Balcoin had taken place.

Being there and hearing the story from the lips of the teenagers cause Charlie to remember. Remember had he had done sixteen years ago when he had been the reason half the parents in the Chance harbor circle were dead. Because of him, ten years ago a hurricane had killed all the parents in the Florida circle.

However none of that mattered anymore.

Balcoin's power came from the Crystal Skull and even though the original circle had broken it in three parts and then each part in even smaller ones so that it formed eighteen crystals for safe keeping.

THAT hadn't worked but last night's events had managed to destroy it. the descendants of the original circle had formed a new and improved original circle v2 and their spell casting destroyed it. the feared skull was nothing but tiny glass shards now. too small to do any real damage. He thought he would feel bad about it but instead he felt free.

the teens had spent the entire night awake burning old bridges and building new and stronger ones letting water run under them.

"what do we do now?"

Cassie asked from her spot in tom's lap. if everyone thought the sudden pairs were off, no one spoke. Doug shrugged one shoulder and replied

"get outta here? staying away from each other obviously didn't work"

"the young man has a point"

mrs Archer, who was wearing the triple moon pendant identical to mine and dawn's because as she said "every coven needs a crone", shared some knowledge. the teens shrugged, none had a problem with moving out of their towns. In fact, considering the recent events, the idea of moving was welcome

"When we were looking where your circle might be, we noticed that the points of our towns form a pentagram."

Diana started with Angela finishing her thought

"so how about moving in a town in the center of the pentagram?"

everyone nodded

"better yet, find a town, preferably away from neighbors, near water..."

Lana trailed. Ariel jogged in her room where she had stored the maps and brought them.

"so we have... fire?"

"these natural hot springs"

Chris pointed. Ariel placed a red pin there.

"water?'

"the bay, here"

Adam put a blue pin

"earth?"

"these mountains?"

Jerry added a green pin

"next we need wood"

"national park"

Melissa and Dana said together and Dana added a brown pin to the map

"last we need metal"

"a silver mine?"

Cassie pointed and Lana handed her a white pin to add to the map. Connecting each point on the map with a thick black marker we found the location of our new home.

Right were all the lines connected

"guess we're going to Colorado"

"yeehaw"

Chris said.

"that's in Texas, moron"

Doug replied and somehow the two siblings ended up in a fight. Everyone ignored them.

"there is one more little subject, guys. I don't wanna remain a leader. Especially if we form the original circle v.2"

Diana bit her lip and spoke before Faye could vote herself

"when we enthroned you we agreed it'd be until the whole Balcoin thing was resolved"

"exactly. so how about it goes to the way it was? Angela for our circle, Diana for the chance harbor one and... who was leading your circle Lewis?"

"Shawn and we were okay with it"

Faye smiled her wicked little smile but cassie spoke before she could

"I agree. Balcoin's plan was to give the circle to Bella and me with him controlling us. doing the exact same thing ourselves sounds stupid"

Bella nodded agreeing with he subdued, now that her dak magic wasn't strong anymore, cassie.

"how about you three stay in charge then, but with one more member of each circle by your side, to keep an eye out?"

Dona replied. a round of 'yeah' followed and just like that, it was decided. Bella-Angela, Cassie-Diana, Shawn-Lewis were the three leading pairs.

The next full moon found the complete circle in Colorado. The stood at the base of a large mountain and the 27 people cast a single spell. A strong earthquake broke the ground in front of them and created a large lake separating the new island in the middle of Colorado from the rest of it. On the beaches that surrounded the island, were spread the tiny rain of crystals as a layer of protection.

They built the necessary buildings (along with a cemetery where the ashes of all fallen members of all circles were transported to) and welcomed outsiders with a friendly smile. the authorities were managed by them along with all positions of power and they lived with the old rede.

But one thing would always remain the same. The bonds that were created the night Balcoin was defeated were unbreakable. As years passed those bonds only became stronger and the lines remained pure.

New members came only from the existing families and relationships with the outsiders were cordial, but the truth of the founders was never revealed.

Magic was kept secret this time and they lived all happily ever after...

... or at least that's what the story says. Who knows what is going to happen in the future?

**THE END**


End file.
